Urban Regeneration: a Masterplan for Catania

Strategic Planning for the Metropolitan Area
The Masterplan reflects the interests of the municipality of Catania by linking the concepts of governmental and community participation through continuous innovation.

The most relevant elements of the Plan are:

• The actors, the resources and the activities;
• The objectives;
• The policies, the strategies and the actions that will be taken to achieve them.

VISION: a pleasant, colourful, clean, safe and competitive city, respecting its cultural identity. This city should have a strong, social cohesion, allowing different cultural, economical and social components to develop in harmony. Nodal convergence of Euro-Mediterranean interests, regional centre of services and hub of eastern Sicily’s commerce, transportation, education, health, culture, leisure, social and administrative services.

MISSION: a leading city in Sicily, which bases its identity on its history and culture, considering them as distinctive and qualifying characteristics. Its trait should be that of lifelong learning, guided by a governance which requires the cooperation of the urban population. This will allow a continuous qualification of its structures and functions and will support a sustainable development in order to improve the quality of life for its community.

Strategic Planning Lines / Objectives

I. Catania Sustainable Metropolitan City: Improving the city’s quality of life by consolidating its relations with its suburbs and by respecting the environment.
II. Catania Solidarity City: Increasing employment and diminishing social marginalization.
III. Catania Safe City: Strengthening the community’s trust in its institutions and minimizing the effects of natural disasters.
IV. Catania Welcoming City: Improving the city’s accessibility in order to become a link to Mediterranean countries.
V. Catania Innovative City: Improving Etna Valley with the consolidation of the local environment.
VI. Catania Agorà: Distinguishing the city as a meeting and exchange location.

The Role of Catania’s Public Management

Promoter and driver of the Strategic Urban Planning process and of the Masterplan which defines:

• the strategy
• the objectives
• the projects

Key player in the city’s integrated development, representing the interests of its community, companies and trade associations.
Guarantor of the players’ vertical and horizontal involvement and their synergetic interactions with the projects.

Masterplan of the Metropolitan City

Operative instrument of analysis, management and evaluation of the strategic plan’s components. Its functions are:

1. To systematically manage the shift from general objectives to strategic choices and specific objectives, according to operative and organizational actions in order to implement programs, projects and plans concerning the urban area;
2. To organize and systematize the different urban development projects, so as to manage them in an unitary and flexible way.

The Masterplan

• Planned projects and those in progress, their state of advancement and the resources available;
• Territories involved
• Actors, their roles and responsibilities
• Priority levels
• Normative and financial instruments
• Expected times and results

Masterplan Contents

• Public Security Plan (concerning criminal organizations)
• Public Protection Plan (related to seismic events and Etna’s volcanic activity)
• PRUSST “The Economies of Tourism”
• PIT “Metropolitan City”
• PIC URBAN
• PTO “South Catania”
• District contract “ North Trappeto”
• Transport policies (PUT, PUM, PUP, underground, inter-port, port and airport)
• PEC
• Project for the integrated management of RSU (waste)
• Restoration Plan of “San Cristoforo” (a district in Catania)
• SIT
• Work agreement “City of Catania”
• Plan for childcare
• Plan for the Librino area (a district in Catania)
• Cultural policy (concerning the rejuvenation of building and urban space destined to cultural events)
• Industrial policy

Basic Resources in the Strategic Planning of Catania

• Richness in environmental resources (coastal and volcanic);
• Flourishing agricultural activities;
• Cultural, architectural and artistic patrimony;
• Metropolitan area with 600,000 citizens and a complex urban network;
• Availability of urban, industrial and undeveloped areas within the city;
• Its central geographical position and transport investments increase the role of the city in the Euro-Mediterranean scenario;
• Geographical proximity to research institutes and the University;
• EU Objective 1 Region (Sicily);
• Availability of highly specialized workers at lower costs;
• The development of “Pacts” among public and private institutions and trade associations that increase investment opportunities and employment;
• The presence of ST Microelectronics has positive effects on the growth of local scientific know-how, attracting national and international firms (spin-offs) and in the dynamism of local small and medium enterprises;
• Efficient interface of the Municipality, the University and high-tech firms;
• Trade infrastructures which have created the most important commercial hub in eastern Sicily;
• The presence of non-profit associations which increase social interaction and improve artistic and cultural activities.