ISTAT (the Italian Institute of Statistics) published an analysis of Italian local systems in its 2015 annual report, applying statistical analysis methodologies to functional geography. From this analysis it emerges that:
1) In Italy there are 611 local systems in the 8092 municipalities covering the entire population. The local systems are grouped on 7 types: the cities of the Center-North, the diffused city, the green heart, the southern urban centers, the disadvataged territories, the inner South and the other South.
2) These systems can be grouped, as well as around the traditional model of industrial districts, as a function of 17 aggregations, which correspond to six types of local systems:
- Local urban systems: highly specialized urban local systems, multi-specialized, mainly port systems and non-specialized urban local systems.
- Other local non-manufacturing systems: tourism and agriculture
- The traditional systems of made in Italy: Textile-Clothing and Leather processing
- The other systems of made in Italy: manufacture of machines, woodworking and furniture production, agro-food, other systems made in Italy (jewelry, glasses and musical instruments)
- Heavy manufacturing systems: transportions, production and processing of metals, building materials, local systems of petrochemistry and pharmaceuticals.
- Non-specialized local systems: the specializations more related to the distribution of the population on the territory than to specific localization factors (trade, construction, public services, etc.),
The report also includes the analysis of local administrations practices in terms of "smartness" or "smart quality" of cities, concluding that the experiences can be grouped into 5 types:
o Urban environment planning
o Transparency and participation
o Management and provision of services to users
o Innovative technological applications
o Eco-social innovation
For each of these practices the report presents the most widespread characterizations and the municipalities that have adopted them.
by ILS LEDA
