Promoting smartness among local areas: the SMART Basilicata project

This presentation will focus on a coordinated project aimed to promote smartness among local areas in a small region in Southern Italy (Basilicata). The "SMART Basilicata" project constitutes a unique attempt in which, by working together, multi-layer public authorities, private enterprises, research organizations and universities drafted the basis for a regional strategy for smart-related issues. The project is structured around five main operating objectives (Smart Environment, Smart Energy, Smart Mobility, Smart Culture & Tourism, Smart Participation) which are smartly integrated in a systematic approach towards a more sustainable configuration of the regional widespread "town". All the research activities converge into four "demonstrators" located in different areas of Basilicata (SMART_ENV: Val d'Agri/Basilicata, SMART_BIOFUEL: Val d'Agri, SMART_STREET: Potenza, sMArTERA: Matera) which aims to constitute reference models for territorial development fostering the participation of multiple stakeholders from the public sector, civil society, and the private sector. The local areas involved in this study are characterized by different dimensions, cultural identities, vocation and peculiarities whereas the replicability of the proposed solutions makes SMART Basilicata a "smart" attempt to draw a common innovation strategy on the medium/long term with a regional perspective.