"Città di Città" is the Strategic Project for the Milanese Urban Region launched in 2005 by the Province of Milan to improve the quality of life in the province, thereby enhancing local governance and the area's competitive edge. Right from the start, the Province involved the Milano Metropoli Development Agency (hereinafter "the Agency") in this innovative strategic planning process; along with the Department of Architecture and Planning (DiAP) of Milan's Politecnico university, the Agency took part in directing the project and in coordinating various stages thereof. The Agency's technical and planning role focused on:

• Communication and animation. In cooperation with the DiAP, the Agency launched communications regarding the initial stage of the Strategic Project and of the initiative known as Teatro Città di Città, a forum for local residents and for the various groups engaged in studying, planning and governing the area. The Teatro - staged at the Milano Triennale concurrently with the ViviMi Città di Città exhibition - included 21 debates and 50 hours' in-depth lessons on the economic, social, urban planning and cultural situation of the metropolitan area.
  
  
• New ideas and best practices competition.  The "Città di Città" Strategic Project also included a competition set up to reward and help implement the new ideas and best practices proposed by local town councils and by institutional, economic and social players in the Milanese area. The competition attracted 402 entries, 249 of which were new ideas and 153 best practices, i.e. on-going and potentially repeatable experiences. Milano Metropoli helped organize the competition and define the outlines of the projects taking part.
  
  
• Support for strategic projects. The Province of Milan commissioned the Agency to provide certain town councils and local players with technical support to develop or implement some of the projects selected in the competition. Such support also concerned a number of pilot projects considered strategic for the provincial administration since they were geared to improving the quality of life in the urban region and to improving its competitive edge, social cohesion and governance.
  
  
• Pilot Project: "Rethinking industrial areas". The Province of Milan appointed the Agency as its technical contact for the coordination of a pilot project entitled "Rethinking industrial areas". The project defined methods for setting up and/or regenerating ecologically equipped industrial areas (APEA guidelines). It also involved appointing a Technical Board - coordinated by the Agency - made up of members of public administrations, business associations, development agencies, universities and research institutes.
  
  
• MetroCenter: start-up and management. MetroCenter is an initiative promoted by the Province of Milan to give continuity to the institutional cooperation and participation launched with the "Città di Città" Strategic Project and thus the concrete implementation of the strategies and ideas formulated in it. The aim of the Metrocenter project is to provide a permanent forum in which to discuss and compare ideas and experiences on development policies and on the transformations taking place in the Milanese urban region.

http://www.cittadicitta.it/