Community profile

 

Situated in the northwest of Italy, Turin is the capital of the Piedmont region. The largest part of the city is located on the left bank of the Po River, surrounded by the western Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is about 900,000 while the population of the urban area is estimated to be 1.7 million inhabitants. As such Turin is the fourth largest Italian city in terms of population. Since the nineties Turin has experienced a profound transformation, evolving from an industrial city, whose main focus was the production of cars, towards a capital of innovation and creativity. While not giving up its historical industrial soul, Turin has diversified its economic base and city landscape. New infrastructures and buildings emerged, and the cultural offers, ranging from museums, contemporary art, sites and monuments, to major events and industrial tourism, are shaping the socio-cultural and socio-economic substance of the city. Today, with its 7,104 square miles of green areas as well as its ongoing conservation and developing projects, Turin has also become the most eco-friendly and ‘green’ city in Italy.

WeGovNow in the region

The idea of a contemporary City of Turin is clearly driven by an urban regeneration programme that includes the active involvement of citizens and associate stakeholders. Aiming at building a strong link between the local community and its city neighbourhood, Turin is implementing and promoting several social and cultural actions directed at sustainable, intelligent and inclusive urban growth.

WeGovNow offers the municipality a way in which to make participation in urban redevelopment processes easier for citizens. It is also a means with which to collect information from citizens while, at the same time, getting them involved and empowering them as actors of urban change. In Turin, the WeGovNow online engagement platform supports the collaboration between city authorities and citizens with a key focus on the following topics:

• Co-design of public park: The platform is used to explore new ways of of co-designing and co-managing an area in a public park (Parco Dora).
• Involving citizens in funding decisions: The platform is used to involve citizens in public funding decisions about NGO-driven cultural projects in the framework of an urban regeneration and investment programme (AxTO).
• Neighbourghood: The WeGoveNow pilot platform is utilised to establish a responsive communication between the municipality and citizens who have identified a problem in their neighbourhood.

Visit the Turin pilot platform here.