Bologna, the seventh largest city in Italy^[1] and capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, was recently named as one of the top three smart cities in the country. The city was praised for its decisions and actions to "bring together the quality of the environment, welfare policies and territorial innovation in an overall balance."^[2] This smart city portrait provides a summary of Bologna's strategy and vision of a citizen-centric collaborative future.

The Force of a Collaborative Persona

When it comes to citizen-inspired innovation, cities often face a problem. The problem is that outdated regulations and inflexible rules become barriers when citizens wish to improve a local park, increase pedestrian safety or make other changes in their community—even when such changes increase quality of life.^[3] However, the city of Bologna recognized opportunities to collaborate with citizens and improve neighborhoods and urban spaces.^[4]