The Covid pandemic has accelerated the digitization process of the entire country system, starting with cities and public administrations. And if it is true that a technological lag persists in Italy, the report ICity Rank 2020 on smart and sustainable Italian capitals made by PA forum, group company Digital360, also highlighted that a transformation is indeed underway. Confirmation emerges from the top ten, i.e. the increasingly accentuated gap between the north and south of the country, but also some surprises, such as for example the fourth place in Rome and the "non-victory" of Milan, which has to settle for third place of the podium, overtaken by Florence and Bologna.
The ranking therefore sees the top ten cities (Florence, Bologna, Milan, Rome Capital, Modena, Bergamo, Turin, Trento, Cagliari and Venice) with a "very advanced" level of digitization, followed by a group of 15 others of an "advanced" level: Parma, Reggio Emilia, Palermo, Pavia, Brescia, Genoa, Lecce, Cremona, Prato, Bari, Pisa, Verona, Vicenza , Bolzano and Forlì. In the ranking there are then 23 cities with a “fair” level: Rimini, Mantua, Livorno, Monza, Piacenza, Siena, Ravenna, Treviso, Udine, Perugia, La Spezia, Naples, Ferrara, Novara, Pordenone, Padua, Trieste, Lodi, Arezzo, Pesaro, Ancona, Verbania, Lecco. And yet 24 "intermediate" level capitals and another 27 with digitization only "started". The ranking is closed by 8 cities with critical delays, almost all of the South: Taranto, Avellino, Caserta, Carbonia, Nuoro, Enna, Chieti and, last, Agrigento.
"The digital transformation process of Italian cities and their administrations has not stopped in this terrible year, indeed in many ways it has received an acceleration that has made it possible to overcome organizational and cultural resistances - he says Gianni Dominici, General Manager of FPA -. It has often been precisely the digital innovations that have made it possible to manage critical situations by limiting their impact and favoring responses based on the participation of citizens and associations. Those who were already at an advanced stage, such as metropolitan cities and many municipalities in the North, have confirmed progress, but there are also comforting signs from less mature areas from a digital point of view, with four cities in the South making significant progress , entering the top twenty classified”.
THE TOP 5
The ranking sees at the top Florence with a score of 872 in the digital transformation index, thanks to the leadership obtained on municipal apps, open data, transparency, public wifi and excellent positioning in almost all indicators. In second place there is Bologna, with a score of 866, thanks to the top placement for municipal apps (tied), enabling platforms, social media. Milano, is third with 855 points, distinguishing itself in particular for digital platforms, open data and transparency, but also for a good availability of public wifi. Roma in fourth position, it has primacy for online public services and an excellent positioning also on enabling platforms and municipal apps. Modena it stands out for municipal apps and IoT, but is also positioned well in enabling platforms and public wifi.
THE SOUTH
The gap between the north and south of the country in digital transformation processes still remains wide: two thirds of the southern capitals are in the lowest third of the ranking. But there are several exceptions which confirm that innovation can also develop in contexts characterized by relatively lower levels of wealth and economic growth. Cagliari, with the 9th place in the standings, is the first city in the South, but there are also Palermo (13 °) Lecce (17 °) and Bari (20 °).
