Research program Bergamo 2. 035
Bergamo 2.035 is an interdisciplinary research project promoted by the University of Bergamo and the Pesenti Foundation, with scientific collaboration from Harvard University and in partnership with the Municipality of Bergamo. The research stems from a shared commitment to analyze the main trends and scenarios that will shape the Smart City model in urban and rural areas over the coming decades, to identify possible solutions for testing in the laboratory and, subsequently, as pilot projects directly within the Bergamo area.
The Bergamo 2.035 program aims to make the most of the region’s economic and industrial heritage, as well as the city’s cultural and social assets, placing future citizens — the ‘smarter citizens‘ — at the center, as active agents of change for the improvement of the urban environment.
The project has a long-term perspective. During the first two years of activity (2013–2014), the program was structured into three main phases:
The phases of the research program
- Analysis: sharing the research platform and identifying the main evolutionary trends of urban contexts;
- Discussion: meeting with key stakeholders, experts of the territory, and representatives of the various interests and needs of the urban community;
- Proposal: development of some project ideas and identification of action plans to be implemented following this initial phase of the research program.
From this initial phase, in 2014, the study ‘Bergamo 2.035: an idea of the city in a changing world‘ was born, envisioning a smart city where technologies and innovative solutions develop together and serve new social models of responsibility and inclusivity. A city where citizens, the ‘smarter citizens,’ become active agents of change for the improvement of the urban environment of which they are a part.
After this initial phase, which highlighted the most significant trends that will affect urban development in the near future, the project then focused on some priority areas of the ‘Bergamo case‘.
During 2015, coinciding with Expo, the research focused on the local food system, introducing the theme of Food 2.0 for the future smart city.
With the start of the new academic year (2015–2016), Bergamo 2.035 focused on a high-priority topic in contemporary urban contexts: ‘Urban mobility and analysis‘. The project aims to analyze the evolution of people’s mobility and logistics in relation to urban development, focusing on the need to envision new scenarios where new solutions — not only technological — can translate into sustainable improvements aligned with the needs of stakeholders and citizens.
In addition to the project areas Bergamo Consum-attore and Bergamo Mobile / Logistica, Bergamo 2.035 also includes four others: Bergamo Creativa, Bergamo Salute, Bergamo Responsabile, and Bergamo Tecnologica.
