Genova’s HUB-IN: a beautiful destination for all
The Action Plan aims to regenerate the historic center through art and entrepreneurship
Genova’s HUB-IN strives to regenerate its historic center, especially the Caruggi area, making it a more sustainable, beautiful, vibrant and inclusive place both for residents and tourists.
The historic centre of Genova is one of the most extended, preserved and densely populated mediaeval historic centres of Europe. Since 2006, Genova’s Historic Centre has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, for its complex of streets and magnificent Renaissance and Baroque palaces.
The historic urban area (HUA) is currently facing several challenges, the main one being the need to fight decay in all its forms – physical, social and economic – reversing tendencies of abandonment, mistrust and fragmented relationships with locals.
HUB-IN is an integral part of the Regeneration Plan for the Genova historic centre: it will be the common ground for the structural measures already envisaged. The Project will be an opportunity to promote the values of culture, history and inclusion that
distinguish our historic centre. The innovative actions included in the Project will enhance the perception of the HUA and its flows of citizens and tourists – Mauro Avvenente, Municipal Councillor for Historic Urban Areas
FOUR MAIN ACTIVITIES WILL MAKE GENOVA’S CITY CENTER A SAFE, FASCINATING PLACE
The proposed Action Plan for the city of Genova is the result of a roadmap that the city has developed involving local stakeholders to identify the overall vision, values and missions of the envisaged HUB-IN Place. This plan is articulated into four individual but interlinked actions, sharing the overall objective of revitalising Genova’s HUA by increasing footfall and attractiveness, promoting social inclusion and interactions and bringing innovative businesses in the area, while preserving the cultural heritage of the HUA and its authentic identity as a welcoming melting-pot.
Action 1 – Urban Outfitting for an inclusive and lively HUA – will develop a project to make the HUA more beautiful, lively and welcoming, in addition to encouraging social gathering and interaction.
Action 2 – Public Art Initiative – aims to restore and reinforce HUA’s streets and squares’ identity as a location of high artistic value and introduce new contemporary cultural content alongside existing traditional ones.
Action 3 – Creative Storytelling of the HUA – will develop a new narrative to preserve the HUA’s real-life stories, history and culture, fostering the development of a common identity among locals and enriching the visitor experience and the city profile worldwide.
Action 4 – Developing and running an experimental call for innovators – will launch an experimental call to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in the HUA, bringing in new ideas and projects able to fertilise the local entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Together, these four actions will bring life, creativity and entrepreneurship into the HUA, empowering the local communities along the way.
Genova’s HUB of Innovation relates to the whole of the HUA. It is not a physical building – Instead, it is a virtual network created by the collaboration between a group of key stakeholders who have committed to making change happen in the HUA. The will be spread throughout the HUA’s streets and squares. Despite the “virtual” nature of the HUB and the spreading of activities throughout the HUA, one or more “physical” contact points will be identified and established to ensure a strong and constant connection and interaction with the local communities.
Learn more about the project here.
