Presentation delivered by Elena Marchigiani, Deputy Mayor for Town Planning, Mobility and Traffic, Housing, Trieste, for URBACT Training for Elected Representatives on Integrated and Sustainable Urban Development. Seminar 3 (2-4 December 2013, Brussels, Belgium): Sustainability and change. How can cities tackle the challenges of climate change and assess their progress? And how to intervene in complex energy transitions while improving a city's quality of life? Read more: http://urbact.eu/en/news-and-events/urbact-events/training-for-elected-representatives/

1. PILOT TRAINING FOR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES
Seminar 3 – Sustainable cities
2-4 December 2013, Brussels
Lead Partner
Project Partner Host City
Thematic Network
CITY OF TRIESTE
Arch. Elena Marchigiani
Deputy Major for Town Planning, Mobility and Traffic, Housing
USEAct

2. TRIESTE is the capital of the autonomous region
Friuli Venezia Giulia and is located at the northeastern end of Italy.
The Region borders Austria on the North,
Slovenia on the East (through the Carso Plateau),
and the Adriatic Sea on the south.
The Municipality of Trieste covers an area of 84,5
square kilometres, with a population of 211.184
inhabitants (2.499,22 people per square
kilometre).

4. History and Urban Growth: 1718

5. History and Urban Growth: 1857

6. History and Urban Growth: 1857

7. Resources and Potentials Today
Trieste is one of the main commercial ports of the North Adriatic together with Monfalcone and Koper (SLO).
Employment opportunities are mainly related to the presence of the headquarters of institutions, international
companies and important industries (Region, Province, Municipality; Generali and Allianz Assurance Companies;
Fincantieri, Illy Caffè, Wärtsilä Italia). The presence of SMEs is still poor. Therefore employment is mainly
concentrated in the service sector.
Trieste is known as the City of Science, because of the presence of a large University (more than 20.000 students)
and of many scientific institutions and research centres (Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics,
International School for Advanced Studies, Synchrotron laboratory, AREA Science Park – which is the first multisector Science and Technology Park in Italy and one of the most important in Europe).
Tourism is a growing sector, with large potentials due to the historical estate, the cultural and sport events offered
by the city.
The quality of life is very high, thanks to a rich network of public services and to the beauty and variety of
landscapes.

8. USEact Network Topics
The USEAct project (2012-2015) aims to achieve urban development and new or improved settlement
opportunities for people and businesses taking up residence in existing locations:
- without consumption of further land and at the same time developing real estate economies
- making the most of the historic building heritage
- reducing energy consumption
- cutting back on further infrastructure building/management costs

9. Our Challenges in the frame of USEact
In Trieste the national and local crisis has been bringing to a standstill of main economic
activities. The process started decades ago, but now it is reaching its peak with the closure
of large factories and the abandonment of huge areas and buildings.
As for demographic trends, Trieste is facing a stop in the growth of population, whereas
the death rate is only matched by immigration. Moreover, the amount of elderly is nearly
reaching the 30% of the overall population, showing trends that anticipate European
forecasts for the next decades.
In recent decades Trieste has witnessed the change of several background factors that have
transformed geopolitical and economic scenarios. Strategies and planning tools must
face this new reality: the fall of Eastern trade barriers on the Slovenian and Croatian border
and the need for the Government of the City to define new roles and new approaches to
development and competitiveness in an increasingly wide and complex territorial
frame.
The strategic location and the quality of landscape and services can be recognized as
the main potentials to focus on, in order to enhance tourism, agriculture, craft and culturalscientific sectors. Sectors that can make the city able to attract new population,
investments in the renewal of city spaces and further economic activities (mainly in the
fields of light production and green economy).

10. Our Expectations
Expectations:
Sharing experiences in the field of tools, strategies and projects on the issues of urban reuse
Sharing projects and solutions, in order to increase the energy efficiency and functionality
of buildings, with particular reference to historical estate
Deepening strategies and planning tools to manage the issue of properties fragmentation
and re-use of brownfields and former military areas
Sharing different approaches to coordinate different institutional actors in charge of
planning strategies
Upgrading of skills and competences within the Municipality and the Civil Society
What we will develop:
Planning and building code models in order to minimize the use of resources and further
urban growth, to promote the reuse of existing buildings and areas, greater energy
efficiency of buildings, participation models
Project experiences aimed to the revitalization of parts of the city by means of economic
and comprehensive redevelopment plans
Experiences and tools on participatory processes
A Local Action Plan

11. Our Issues and Approach
Integrated urban planning
(mixing uses, working on different
scales)
Community planning (match public
and private sector, mix different
actors)
TOPICS
- Regenerate abandoned areas
(mainly former military districts)
- Stop land consumption
- Promote reuse of existing spaces
and building for new public spaces
and facilities in peripheral districts,
mixing different uses and social
groups
ENGAGEMENT OF
Urban Local Support Group (ULSG)
LOCAL ACTION PLAN (LAP)

12. Working on Different Scales
GENERAL TOWN PLAN
Since the elections held in 2011, the new Administration has started
a new frame of urban policies, mainly focused on drawing the new
General Town Plan.
The plan adoption process will start in December 2013.
SITE SPECIFIC
The target area is a complex part of the city within a
peripheral district: social housing, abandoned military
areas, public fair, factories

13. The Target Area

14. The Target Area
Former Military
area
(Min. of Defence)
Former Fair (Municipality of
Trieste, Trade Chamber,
Province)
Former Military area (Municipality of
Trieste) – started
Former Military area (Municipality of
Trieste) - started
Former Military area (Social
Housing Agency) - done
Former Factory (Private
investors)

15. The Target Area
1
2
5
3
4

16. The Frame: New General Town Plan
Mixing and connecting
1
4
3
2
1
4
2-3

17. The Hardware (Capitalizing Projects): EU

18. The Hardware (Capitalizing Projects):
National and Local
Plan for Cities (PfC - Urban Regeneration Project)
Micoaree Project (MP - Community Development Project: Municipality, Social
Housing Agency, Public Health Agency, NGOs)
LAP ?
New Public
Archives (PfC)
LAP ?
New Museum of the
“war for peace” (PfC)
Urban police station
Science Museum
LAP ?
Council housing estate
(MP)

19. A first Draft of General Issues for LAP
Labs for the restoration of old
documents? New spaces for SMEs?
New open spaces and facilities for the
neighbourhood?
•
•
•
Start from the “hardware” given by projects for public services (archives, museums), that
have already been funded (continuity of Public Action)
On-going projects are not already closed and completely defined (urban project as an
open process)
Go on with the process of opening to the city abandoned areas, adding new public
spaces and places for new economic activities (re-use as re-appropriation of urban
space by citizens)

20. Local Support Group (LSG): What we have
already done
General Town Plan
Involved stakeholders:
Municipality Departments (town planning, public works and public estate, culture, social
assistance, economy)
Municipality decentralized bodies and citizens
Associations of architects, urban planners, landscape and conservation architects of the
Province
Building, cultural, economic associations
Participative activities:
- technical and public meetings
- focus group
- topic groups
Citizens have been involved with meetings and questionnaires

21. Local Support Group (LSG): What we are going
to do
Site specific
Stakeholders
Municipality Departments (town planning, public works and public estate, culture, social assistance, urban police)
Municipality decentralized bodies
State
Public Health Agency, Social Housing Agency
Private foundations and NGOs
Civil society and Citizens
University?
Professional Associations?
Economic and Cultural Associations?
How the LSG will be delivered
Technical meetings with different Municipality Departments and public institutions (core group)
One to one meetings (interviews, or small group meetings) with “key persons” representing other stakeholders
Public meetings open to citizens and civil society
Topic groups and Focus groups on specific issues we “discovered” during meetings and interviews

22. My role in LSG
As a political administrator, within a process which is strongly driven by
PA
•
Promote a participatory process enabling citizens and civil society to be active part of an
urban regeneration process (join elective democracy and representative democracy)
•
Stimulate the development of new approaches and tools (innovation)
•
Ensure the success of the process and the feasibility of its results (efficacy)
•
Promote the involvement of citizens not only in the definition of the project but also in its
realization (sharing responsibilities and costs)

23. Long Term and Quick Win Solutions
Big results can also be achieved by means of small (but clever, site
specific and participated) transformations
Self renewal of buildings?
From the experiences in school spaces
Light interventions for
the upgrading of public
spaces?
Social urban gardens?

24. Contact email
www.urbact.eu/useact