Over the past few months, the pandemic crisis has revealed the fragility of the currently existing economic models, whichn do not contribute to the creation of positive value toward people, society and the environment. The unprecedented moments we have experienced, however, have trained us to imagine the unthinkable, allowing our minds to open the door to future scenarios that are radically different from the reality known to date. New paradigms are taking place, in which the concept of value, often uniquely linked to the economic aspect, takes on a much deeper meaning and extends to the well-being of people, the health of ecosystems and the relationship between them.

Territories and cities, which have always been indicators  of encounter, creation and impact, have a fundamental role in the affirmation of a widespread sustainability paradigm, integrating in their DNA a new culture of value creation for all the actors that animate it. This awareness has led the association “Parma, io ci sto!”, founded in 2016 on the initiative of Alessandro Chiesi, Guido Barilla, Andrea Pontremoli, the Unione Parmense degli Industriali, and Fondazione Cariparma with the aim of being a real engine of change, to think up the project “#dieci: una visione per Parma e il suo territorio,” as part of Parma Capital of Culture 2020+21. A participatory and inclusive process of building the future of Parma and its territory, which saw the involvement of more than 250 representatives of culture, citizenship, young people and foreigners, the business and nonprofit worlds, who elaborated and validated on the one hand a Ten-Year Vision that as a North Star could guide the choices of all stakeholders, and on the other hand a program of fifty concrete actions through which to ground the project and progressively tend toward the chosen reality.

Together with Nativa, #dieci was built by drawing inspiration from multiple methodologies and principles. The key principles that marked all phases of the work were co-creation and inclusion, which ensured that the end result was a clear and precise expression of the territory. The application of the methodologies of Spaceship Design, Backcasting and Future Search allowed all the stakeholders involved to imagine the best possible future for the city and to study how to make it a reality Representatives of the territorial system were involved in more than 250 hours of deep dialogue, in plenary groups but especially in small working groups, to allow everyone to share their perspective and ideas for the future of the territory. Also crucial was the reference to the Doughnut Economy Framework, which, because of its scientific approach and its perfect use in the city context, has already been used in international projects, such as the cases of Amsterdam, Berlin and Philadelphia, Portland, Brussels and Oxford.

The strong vocation that has emerged from the area is for it to be a territory of inclusion and opportunity. The Final Vision makes explicit five key areas of work for the revitalization and development of the territory: education and culture, innovation and pioneering, integral ecology, territorial regeneration and shared social value.

Subsequently during the working sessions, a list of fifty key actions to realize the Vision was identified and, among them, seven were recognized as high-impact actions to be implemented by 2023, based on relevance to the #ten vision, scalability of the impact generated, technical feasibility, and consistency with the mission of Parma, Io ci sto!

Extraordinary work that must continue to be sustained in the ten years to come. Fundamental elements of success will be the involvement of a wide audience, young people and the new generations. Itwill also be necessary to identify the vocations of the different actors involved with consequent assignment of roles, with particular attention to initiatives already present in the area, SMEs, and gradually all other actors who can contribute to the achievement of the objectives. Finally, it will be essential to keep in mind that we live in a world of perpetual and rapid change, and that the vision, objectives and actions will necessarily also have to be dynamic, and therefore part of a process of continuous improvement supported by a systemic vision, where economic, social and environmental impacts are considered in a holistic and integrated manner.

Over the course of 2021 and the years to come, the territory of Parma has thus chosen to evolve in a new direction, starting from a profound re-examination of the concept of value creation and identifying a defined and shared Vision. This is an important experience from which other splendid Italian realities will be able to take a cue to better enhance their territory, history, culture and economy.

You can find out all the details of the #ten project here.

Five years have passed since the birth of “Parma, I’m in!” In this time we have worked with a proactive and concrete approach to achieve our main goal: to make Parma and its entire territory attractive again from a cultural, social and economic point of view. In recent weeks, two authoritative rankings on the quality of life of Italian cities have appeared in national newspapers. While expressing great satisfaction and pride in the one that places us at the top of the ranking, we look at the one that places us 12th because only from mistakes can we improve. We are convinced of the goodness of the work that not only our Association but the whole territory is doing for the benefit of Parma. With the #ten project we have collected thoughts, ideas and wishes of those who live the city every day as students, entrepreneurs and citizens and we have done so by equipping ourselves with innovative tools and the collaboration of experienced professionals. The project is only at the beginning and will be able to grow further with the collaboration and contribution of all the actors in the area, to give life to a single, great teamworkAlessandro Chiesi, President “Parma, io ci sto!”

To deal with the complexity of the times we are living in and create a better reality than the current one, it is essential to identify a direction, a clear vision shared by all the actors in the territory. #ten was a national first, a participatory and inclusive process of building the future. We listened and collected the ideas, experiences and aspirations of those who live the reality of Parma and its territory every day. This journey is an asset available to anyone who wants to act effectively to create a desirable future locally, throughout Italy and the world.Eric Ezechieli-co founder Nativa

Eric Ezechieli, co-founder of Nativa