“We need 5 billion, the state recognizes the role of the capital”
President Lorenzo Tagliavanti, starting from a research by the Chamber of Commerce and the fact that day over 4 million people gravitate to Rome, Mayor Gualtieri asked the government for more resources for the services that the capital offers to commuters.
“And he did well. Because Rome, in terms of national transfers, has a very large deficit compared to other capitals. We have calculated that we need at least 5 billion in total in direct transfers, approximately as much as the French state in Paris. But first we have to ask ourselves two questions, which we often forget ».
Which?
“What is Rome today?” And whose is Rome? Of course, Rome is the city of the Romans, those registered in the registry office, but it is also the city that attracts the neighboring territories for its functions, with extended borders up to Terni and Caserta. Besides, it is the capital of the Italians. And it is a capital with a strong international scope with the Holy See, the FAO and three types of diplomatic delegation. And whose is Rome? Certainly of the Romans, but it is also of the Italians and of all the inhabitants of the world ».
The moral?
“It seems to me that when we talk about the services that Rome offers, we make the mistake of remembering that there is only the city of the Romans. Who have to pay taxes, for heaven’s sake, but the cost of management cannot be borne only by them. The other levels must also participate. It’s like shopping for a family of two and then there are four of them at the table ».
But are the services in Rome worthy of a capital?
“Absolutely not. They are insufficient for the residents and inadequate for that Rome which should have the rank of great capital. And even more so if we think that between now and the next ten years to spend the funds of the PNRR and we will exploit great events such as the Jubilee and hopefully the Expo. Also because, in order to be attractive and recover the image deficit, we must respond to the needs of those – I don’t like the term commuter – whom I call “temporary citizens”. And what do you want? ».
What?
«What we want: cleanliness, on-time transport and health care. But this has a cost ».
But to have more resources, don’t you need more powers?
“At the turn of the millennium, as big cities give themselves a new status, we did research with the London School of Economics. And there, to improve the quality of services, we proposed the “Rome Region” model, also because there is an economic or infrastructural commission between the capital and the neighboring areas. And Rome is already a region: the Rome airport, the port of Rome and the food center, for example, are in Fiumicino, Civitavecchia and Guidonia. Outside there are some important productive settlements. Now, with the reform of powers, national recognition will be needed, also because daring legislative power over mobility, development and urban planning means simplifying. But if the mayor of Rome continues to have the same powers as a colleague from a small city, we will not even be able to enhance the territories, the individual municipalities “.
The other side of the coin that is also evident from the research: the distance between the Center and the suburbs is growing.
«Let’s be clear: the municipalities have no powers, but the neighborhoods give identity to Rome, they are very lively. For example, 40 percent of new start-ups are born in the suburbs. Here, there are children who are missing in the Center, integration with immigrants, services, solidarity and sociality are offered that have allowed us to resist during Covid. For this reason it is necessary to equip the territories with an adequate administrative presence ».
Looking at the flows of commuters entering, for work or pleasure, what city is Rome today?
«It is a reality with very strong entrepreneurial dynamism. For at least 5 years it has registered the highest number of new businesses: between 2020 and 2021, tough years because of the pandemic, 15 thousand were born. And in the absence of tourism, we are the Italian city that recovered more GDP last year, despite having lost less in the previous year. It means that in addition to tourism there is something else, such as construction, business services or the agro-food chain ».
Isn’t it worrying that half of the tourists don’t stay overnight?
«It happens because we don’t give him an opportunity to stay one more day: an exhibition, a concert, a theatrical performance as well as seeing beauties like the Colosseum. We cannot continue to think of our city only as a museum ».
Ten years from now, after the Jubilee and perhaps the Expo, what will Rome be?
«It will be the capital of knowledge. And it will be able to attract the best brains because it has, in the post-Covid economy, all the cards to emerge: it is a horizontal city, it has large green spaces, it is the only one with green lungs and the sea. And we don’t have an economy to convert. International investment funds that have given a negative opinion on Italy are now betting on Rome. It will be up to us to achieve this goal, by making companies and the world of knowledge dialogue, as we are trying to do with the Technopole project. It will be up to us to offer ourselves to the world as a destination for the next few years ».
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