For the long-awaited event of Expo Dubai 2020, scheduled from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI) has organized for 31 October a special event dedicated to the concept of Beauty held at the Italian Pavilion of the Universal Exposition. The mayors will have the opportunity to promote the experiences of territorial sustainability developed in the cities of art and in the metropolitan systems.
Competence, innovation and vehicle of knowledge, this is the beauty referred to for the initiative, presented during an online conference attended by Antonio Decaro, Mayor of Bari and president of ANCI Nazionale, Paolo Glisenti, Commissioner General for Italy’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, Dario Nardella, Mayor of Florence and coordinator of ANCI Metropolitan Cities. The event – a thematic week that focuses on the many issues related to the prospects of urban and rural development – will be preceded on October 30 by a conference of the network of European Capitals of Culture, led by Matera.
“I believe that Italian municipalities will be the perfect ambassadors of Made in Italy beauties in the showcase of EXPO Dubai, as bearers of stories, cultures, values, art and the future. […] From north to south, the city system in Italy constitutes the backbone on which the country can rise again after this period of darkness and closures. […] We believe that the world showcase of Expo Dubai is a springboard for municipalities both in terms of tourism promotion and the possibility of activating institutional and economic synergies focused on technology, innovation and quality of life” Antonio Decaro explained.
The projects that the Italian municipalities will illustrate at Expo Dubai 2020 will revolve around a common thread: “urban regeneration”, as a phenomenon linked to the sector of urbanization, mobility and digitization, but also with reference to Culture and Art as regeneration factors. The initiative will be an important opportunity to “discuss and collaborate on the post-pandemic regeneration of cities based on culture, on the new ‘green’ building architecture and on more sustainable, innovative and resilient infrastructure energy models” as underlined by Polo Glisenti.
Now that the pandemic seems to give us a respite, we can return to planning the future with greater determination and optimism. “We are facing a completely different world and we must not waste the opportunity to completely rethink some key cornerstones such as culture, environment, digital. Cities can and must play a fundamental role in this and will be protagonists in Dubai at Expo 2020, an exceptional showcase of our excellence, where they will bring their experience and their model starting from culture, urban regeneration and innovation” Dario Nardella concluded.
