Report WS3 - The strategic role of gateway cities in Europe

The IX Biennial of European cities and urban planners focused on the theme of the gateway cities in Europe, a topic that was discussed in detail in a parallel workshop: The strategic role of the gateway cities in Europe. The workshop discussants, coordinated by Franco Migliorini (INU), examining the effects that globalization is having on European territory, exposed the general framework of the on going changes, problems and unresolved evolving issues, and they proposed possible solutions and new thoughts on the procedures to be implemented, and also they presented examples of cases of emerging European cities, various forms of gateway cities. The most recurrent themes, addressed both in urban planning standpoint and in economical point of view, were: the recentralization in the global competitiveness of European cities, the reorganization of the European space through the enhancement of skills and the extenuation of the differences, the definition of the role of cities starting from the competitive skills of local identities, the necessity for a development strategy and an openness to outer space to the European territory. The need for a greater relationship between urban planners and economists was, in fact, repeatedly stressed, reiterating the importance to analyse the economical context within the cities are moving to assess changes, reactions, and real possibilities for action and to produce future projections. The economy is an engine that works, and we must create the environment, we have to use the surplus that the city generates, to create a cohesive, competitive and dynamic city, and it is also necessary to produce plans incorporating cities into a macro-regional vision. The gateway cities were presented and declined in various ways, but what remained constant was the importance of defining the role of a city, and gateway city means to be cosmopolitan, open, creative and innovative, a windows to the world.