By Geri Powell and Kay Scrimger
May 7, 2007

Conference President Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer led a mayoral delegation to Italy May 14-21, where they had official meetings with the President of the Association of Italian Municipalities and Mayor of Florence Leonardo Domenici, the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Francis Rooney, the President of the City Council of Rome Mirco Coratti, and a special audience with His Eminence Cardinal Francis Arinze at the Vatican

In addition to Palmer, members of The U.S. Conference of Mayors delegation included Mayors David Cicilline of Providence (RI); Elizabeth B. Kautz of Burnsville (MN); and Dannel Malloy of Stamford (CT); and Conference Executive Director Tom Cochran.

Palmer said, “Our goal was to focus upon effective mayoral strategies in Florence and Rome to preserve the ancient quality of these cities while managing modern pressures of population growth, growing number of tourists, and economic development. The members of the delegation felt they learned a great deal about successful transportation strategies in both cities.”

Cochran expressed “…a special thanks to Mayor Domenici of Florence and his excellent city department heads and other officials, who spent time with the delegation. Several top Florence officials accompanied the delegation on a special tour of projects that showed the successful integration of transportation, housing, economic development and revitalization, and historic preservation.”

In Florence, the delegation viewed firsthand a number of special projects. High level city officials Gaetano di Benedetto, General Director of Urban Planning for Florence, and Bruno Spazzoli, Senior Designer of the Tramway Network and Director of Infrastructure for Florence, accompanied the delegation on the bus tour. They included:

1) Areas of the old Fiat and Carapelli Factories Rehabilitation Master Plan, a major area of redevelopment;

2) The University District of Social Sciences (Law School Building, Great Hall, Library, Students Mansion), a massive project that has moved the major university from downtown Florence further out, thus allowing the continued protection and preservation of the downtown while serving as a magnet for more students;

3) The Court of Justice (under construction); and

4) The Florence Savings Bank’s Head Quarters (under construction).

The Conference of Mayors delegation met on April 16 with the President of the Association of Italian Municipalities and Mayor of Florence Leonardo Domenici, who welcomed the mayors to Florence. He was joined by Vice Mayor M. Giuseppe Matulli and Deputy Mayor for Urban Planning Gianni Biagi.

Following the meeting with Domenici, the delegation met in city hall with high level city officials to exchange ideas and gain information about Florence’s transportation strategies including Arch. Bruno Spazzoli, Arch. Gaetano Di Benedetto and Piero Sassoli, General Director and two members of the technical staff of the Florence transportation system.

City officials on the tour of Florence’s special projects and in an afternoon seminar at city hall on April 9 described anti-pollution and transportation strategies being implemented in Florence, including promoting the use of scooters, electric cars and buses, and buses using low pollution fuel. According to the officials, cargo vehicles are still a problem to be addressed within the transportation strategy.

In response to Cochran’s question concerning the possibility of banning vehicles in the city or charging for vehicles in the city, the officials explained their policy of limited restriction under which vehicles are not allowed into the city unless the driver is handicapped or has special permission.

A more detailed discussion ensued about the tramway system in Florence, with Kautz inquiring about the cost of the system, which was 500 million Euros with 40 percent financed by the private sector and 60 percent by the public sector. City officials explained that the city had to buy only a few houses to widen the road in some places to accommodate the system because most of the needed space was open space. A lively discussion ensued about payment for the underground parking, private investment, and the financing structure.

In response to Malloy’s questions about how much of the 1930 track the new tram will use, the city explained that all over Europe cities have taken over tramways and all cities need new tracks for the new railways. Cicilline pointed out that in the U.S. we are doing just the opposite and that all over America there is a resurgence of trolleys.

The city went on to explain that the tram will keep big buses out of the city and will be used by Florentines during rush hour and by tourists in off rush hours. There will be three lines into the city with no cable with only tracks on the ground near the Duomo.

In reviewing the three main components to the public transport system and strategy: airport; high-speed train; the urban complex, Palmer asked if an economic impact study had been done. The city responded that economic impact studies resulted in decisions that impact the placement of housing and shops. If someone wants to open a theater or mall, it cannot be opened more that 300 meters from the closest train.

Palmer summed up the discussion saying there has been an about face in thinking in that, “In the past, the city adapted to the traffic of the cars and now the thinking is that cars should adapt to the city.”

In addition to the discussion about the tramway, the U.S. delegation learned about the Florence Metropolitan Area/Urban Transport Company owned by ATAI Spa, a joint stock company owned by the Florence Metropolitan area municipalities serving 600,000 inhabitants. The transport system serves nine different municipalities, which Florence is the main shareholder.

The Urban Transport Company manages the entire public bus service, plans routes, specifies service levels, and monitors service quality. Buses carry 215,000 passengers per weekday and move 350 scheduled buses for 600,000 inhabitants. From 1999 to today, the passengers increased by 10 million from 75m-85m passengers served. The vehicles are gas and electric vehicles moving around the city.

The Conference of Mayors group had lunch April 17 with the U.S. Consul General in Florence Nora Dempsey and attended a late afternoon reception in honor of the delegation at the U.S. Consulate in Florence. At that time, the mayors had the opportunity to meet a number of governmental officials and business leaders.

In mid-week the mayors traveled to Rome, where they had a lively and informative meeting with the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, His Excellency Francis Rooney. Rooney discussed the relationship between his Embassy and that of the U.S. Embassy in Rome, as well the relationship of the Embassy of the Holy See with the Vatican and the U.S. State Department.

In a special audience with His Eminence Cardinal Francis Arinze at the Vatican, Palmer, Malloy, Cicilline, Kautz and Cochran exchanged information about the HIV/AIDS challenges in Africa. The delegation thanked Arinze for the work of Catholic clergy, laity, and volunteers to ease the pain and suffering of those with AIDS as well as that of those affected by the disease, including orphans and other family members.

Also in Rome, the delegation met with the President of the City Council of Rome Mirco Coratti, who elucidated the local governmental system in Italy and its relationship to the national government. Coratti also discussed and answered questions about Rome’s immediate challenges, its policies to meet those challenges, and the strategies of the Rome city government in transportation and other key areas to preserve the treasures of Rome, while achieving successful sustainable development in the modern age. “Accomplishing economic development and revitalization while preserving our treasures, such as the Coliseum, calls for extreme care and attention in a city as old as ours,” Coratti said.

Cochran pointed out that, “The Mission to Italy arose from the close relationship between The U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Association of Italian Municipalities, which has included a meeting in 1999 in Florence exploring the important role of the arts in city livability and sustainability as well as the present study mission. This ongoing partnership is important to our continued efforts to share common challenges with mayors of the world.”