Trieste, 3 September 2020 – Organized by UNIDO ITPO Italy in the framework of the project “Innovation Bridge Trieste – Dubai 2020” funded by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, the conference session “Sensing and Shaping Smart Cities in the Post-COVID Era” was held on 3 September as part of the 2020 EuroScience Open Forum – ESOF2020, with the goal of promoting innovative solutions to reinterpret and redesign urban environments in light of the pandemic outbreak.

In compliance with the ongoing COVID-19 measures, the event followed a hybrid format, taking place both physically in Trieste – host city of ESOF2020 and European City of Science 2020 – and virtually via online streaming.

Moderated by Ms. Sandra Sodini, Director of the Department for International Relations and European Programming of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, the multi-panel discussion featured interventions by several experts in the field: Prof. Carlos Moreno, Scientific Director and Co-Founder of the Chair “Entrepreneurship Territory Innovation” and Associate Professor at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon – Sorbonne, introduced his trademark “15-Minutes City” innovative concept; Eng. Giulio Bernetti, Director of the Department for City Planning of the City of Trieste, presented the urban development projects locally implemented to ensure a safe living and working environment; and Mr. Raymond Tavares, Innovation and Digitalization Division Officer at UNIDO, illustrated successful patterns for sustainable green manufacturing and smart ecosystems in developing countries. 

In order to address the long-term challenges posed to society by COVID-19 and its far-reaching impact on everyday life within urban environments, all panelists highlighted the crucial need for urban stakeholders to embrace and adopt bottom-up, forward-looking approaches towards sustainable urban development – reallocating traditional spaces and upgrading existing infrastructures through the digital, state-of-the-art technologies offered by the Fourth Industrial Revolution –  in congruence with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda promoted by the United Nations.

By illustrating global trends and facilitating knowledge-exchange, UNIDO ITPO Italy’s conference session within ESOF2020 succeeded in advancing innovative solutions aimed at making urban environments more inclusive and sustainable throughout the post-COVID era and in the transformation process towards smart cities.