Smart working, e.commerce, payments and digital certificates, Spid, IO apps and much more. After the digital acceleration resulting from the pandemic, 2021 was a year of adjustment, allowing everyone to adapt to the present, but it is the administrations that had already launched radical innovation processes in the past that show the best results. In 2021 Florence is confirmed for the second consecutive year the most digital capital of Italy, before Milano e Bologna. To complete the top ten of "smart cities": Rome, Modena and Bergamo, Turin, Trento, Cagliari, Parma. They are the results of ICity Rank 2021, the survey on the digitization of Italian cities by FPA, a company of the Digital360 group, presented on the occasion of Forum Pa Città.
The research evaluates the positioning of the provincial capitals in the index of digital transformation, taking into consideration eight indicators: online availability of public services, availability of public utility apps, integration of digital platforms, use of social media, release of open data, transparency, implementation of public wifi networks and diffusion of network technologies.
The same cities as last year are on the podium, even if Milan takes second place away from Bologna. Florence imposes itself on all with a score of 937 points (against 872 in 2020), boasting excellent results especially in the field of open data, wifi, IOT and network technologies and municipal apps, where it gets the most of votes. Milan is second with a score of 878, in particular it stands out in open data, online services, and in the "openness" index. Bologna is third with 854 points, thanks above all to the results in social networks and Iot and network technologies. Following Roma, Modena e Bergamo, Torino e Trento, Cagliari on the ninth e Parma to close the top ten.
The majority of the Italian capitals are located in the intermediate band, cities that alternate between high and low positions according to the sectors: here we find Pavia (23th place), Siena (24 °) Piacenza (25 °) Napoli (26 °) Lecce (27 °) Vicenza (28 °) Padova (29 °) Ravenna (30th) and about 60 other cities "in evolution" in the digital transformation process, which can conceivably improve performance with some ease.
On the other hand, around twenty provincial capitals lag behind in almost all indicators: they close the ranking Caltanissetta (88th place), Potenza (89 °) Fermo e Teramo (90 °) Chieti (93 °) Catanzaro (94 °) Crotone e Benevento (95 °) Cosenza e Rieti (97 °) Trapani (99 °) Caserta (100 °) Nuoro (101 °) Foggia (102 °) Agrigento (103 °) Avellino (104 °) Carbonia (105 °) Isernia (106th) and last Enna at 107th.
In conclusion, the research confirms the digital divide between North and South, obviously with some exceptions. The southern capitals show a delay in the digital transformation, mostly placing themselves in the low end of the rankings. But something is also moving in the South: in addition to Cagliari in 9th place, we find Palermo in 12th, with full marks in the Open Data field, on a par with Milan and Pisa, and in an excellent position in the sectoral rankings which they concern openness and online services. And Bari at 20th in the general ranking which excels above all in opening and online services. Worth noting is the recovery of Naples, which climbs 11 positions thanks to the highest marks in municipal apps and good placement in social networks, and of Messina, which passes from 89th place in 2020 to the current 62nd, climbing by almost 30 positions.
It would seem that size also affects general performance: among the first 22 cities in the ranking, 10 are metropolitan cities. While the capitals with less than 50 thousand inhabitants have an overall difference of 25% compared to the national average. For the small ones, the average delay is notable especially in open data, while the performances are better in the use of social networks and in the diffusion of wifi networks. In some areas, however, some excellent results of medium-sized companies are noted, such as the first place obtained by Pisa in enabling platforms, by Cremona in online services or by Bolzano in IoT and network technologies.
Gianni Dominici, Director General of FPA, underlined that "in the most advanced group there are above all large cities of the North, but there are also small exceptions, such as Pisa or Cremona, and some cities of the South, such as Cagliari, Palermo or Bari, which demonstrate how a wise use of digital technology can modify the traditional geographies of innovation”.
"We are entering the implementation phase of the Pnrr which has defined a strategic vision of the future based on digital transformation, and in this phase the role of urban realities will be fundamental - he added Andrea Rangone, President of Digital360 -. Cities today are the gateways for the active, autonomous and responsible participation of citizens and businesses, at a time when maximum involvement of everyone is needed. The most innovative companies must be put in a position to make the most of their capabilities, while the more static must be supported to reactivate their innovation capabilities".
