From Pollica to Okinawa
When Education and Innovation Are In Service To The Community. “All the organizing is science fiction. When organizers imagine a world without poverty, without war, without borders or prisons —
8 of the world’s 10 largest cities are near a coast. Given that one-third of the global sea-level rise only comes from the last two decades, most of our cities may soon appear very different from what they are today. - World Glacier Monitoring Service
Rural and urban youths in China are talking about “city sickness”: skyrocketing rents for small housing units, bad air and long work days – The Economist, 2021
“Cities will not disappear, but they must be reinvented” – Carlo Ratti, Senseable City Lab (MIT)
The Cities of the Future Initiative focuses on co-creating sustainable URBANITY through collaborative “Living Lab” experimentation on synthesis of circular systems and community well-being.
Cities initiative
At the dawn of this new decade of action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the environmental, health, and food crisis is reshaping the whole world. To date, cities are the major centers for production and consumption. However, they need to be resigned to increase their resilience and adaptation to disruptive external factors. Just as entire sectors need to be repurposed, resources revalued and reallocated, and food production rethought.
Respecting our planetary boundaries now determines our ability to succeed in these global challenges. The way we use and perceive space has already been heavily adjusted to the current needs. Cities have been reshaped, both to deal with rising sea levels and to ensure adequate access to food. Our houses now need not only space for cooking, but also for working at home. Office and shops’ layouts and ventilation have been totally rethought given the health pandemic. Squares and public spaces have been regaining traction and relevance and technologies are enabling food to be grown and produced without soils, saving hectares of precious space.
Cities 2030
In partnership with the European Union (Horizon 2020), the European project “CITIES2030 – co-creating resIlient and sustainable food systems towards FOOD2030” aims to innovate and optimize the cycles of production, distribution, and disposal of food at urban level.
Circular Cities - cities of tomorrow
In partnership with ENEL, Future Food Institute contributed towards mapping the best examples of circular cities with a specific look at governance.
Cities research
From the Mediterranean to Okinawa (Japan): when diets are sustainable for humans and the planet
The celebrations of the Week of Italian Cuisine in the world have provided precious opportunities for us to think about the sustainability and regeneration of food systems. These themes are
Reshaping the Cities of the Future to Merge Urbanity and Foodscape
Cities are often known for being the major centers for production and consumption. Urban areas are the places where prosperity and wealth are most displayed, where commercial activities and financial