1. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REPRESENTS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR MUNICIPALITIES IN TERMS OF PROCESS AUTOMATION, DATA ANALYSIS, SERVICE PERSONALIZATION, MOBILITY MANAGEMENT, AND POLITICAL DECISION-MAKING SUPPORT. WHAT IS YOUR VIEW OF THE SITUATION IN ITALY? AND WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS FOR THE NEXT 3 YEARS?

AI is a booster for public administration, which now has a different awareness of the topic. This is demonstrated by the good practices already implemented in our country. I think, for example, of the municipalities that have invested in mobility and public transportation to analyze data to reduce traffic, optimize parking management, and communicate with citizens via chatbots, reducing queues at physical offices. I also think of welfare, for more targeted assistance to those truly in need, or the personalization of services in cultural and tourist sectors for more engaging experiences.

However, it’s clear that until now, progress has been somewhat fragmented, with isolated cases. Now, it's necessary to better direct investments to create new opportunities over the next 3 to 5 years.

This is no longer just about “saving time” for municipal employees, allowing them to focus on more strategic activities, but about ethically and responsibly creating well-being and value for the community, with positive impacts on the local economy.

This doesn’t mean that AI alone will solve all the problems of local authorities, but surely, the challenges municipalities face cannot be tackled without these cutting-edge technologies, without proper staff training, and without active collaboration with the private sector.

3. NEW TECHNOLOGIES ARE A STRATEGIC ALLY FOR LOCAL ADMINISTRATORS, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF ECOLOGICAL AND ENERGY TRANSITION. FOR EXAMPLE, CONSIDER THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENERGY COMMUNITIES, AS WELL AS WASTE MANAGEMENT. BASED ON YOUR DAILY WORK AT MUNICIPIA, HOW IS THE SITUATION EVOLVING IN OUR CITIES?

We are making progress, partly because the ecological and energy transition is an issue that can no longer be postponed. Along with mobility, waste management and the optimization of water and energy resources are the hottest topics for municipal administrations.

Innovating cities today, more than ever, means contributing to reducing consumption, cutting pollution, and freeing up economic resources to provide new services to users. In this, the predictive capability of technology is crucial - think about data analysis to optimize consumption and costs by predicting demand peaks, or the ability to reduce waste.

Furthermore, smart grid management technologies allow for the effective integration and balancing of renewable energy sources and improving resilience. Artificial intelligence systems can optimize waste collection routes and have positive effects across all processes in the supply chain.

Municipalities understand all of this and are taking action, spurred on by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, but the road to full maturity is still long.

5. SMART LANDS TRANSLATE INTO REALITY A VISION OF THE TERRITORY AND COLLECTIVE WELL-BEING THAT GOES BEYOND THE MERE SUM OF EXPECTATIONS AND NEEDS OF EACH MUNICIPALITY. WHY IS THIS BECOMING INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES? AND WHAT IS THE ROLE OF MUNICIPIA IN THIS PROCESS?

A Smart Land is essentially a network of municipalities that work in synergy and share resources to achieve planned goals. This is essential for making the most of funding from Europe and private sources.

At the heart of a Smart Land, as we at Municipia – Engineering Group see it, is something very important: the mapping of needs. This is where everything starts.

Together with local authorities, we identify the territory's needs, understand which infrastructures and services are strategic for social and economic development, and implement those projects that have always been shelved due to a lack of funds.

This is all done by tapping into the best sources of financing under the best conditions, ensuring there’s no impact on the local authorities’ budgets, and we remain alongside them in managing these funds.

To date, we have supported about a hundred authorities in developing a clear and concrete territorial strategy to guide communities towards a more technological, inclusive, and responsible future, where technology is not the end goal but the means to achieve real progress.