The suburbs, beyond geography. How do you grow in the age of the knowledge economy?

"Milan Today is place to be. Unfortunately, I believe that the game is zero-sum: in order to be competitive, the suburbs cannot focus on finance or startups, but specialize in complementary fields". Julius Buciunilecturer at Trinity College Dublin, where he is director of the Masters in Entrepreneurship, co-wrote with Giancarlo Coròfull professor of Applied Economics at the Ca' Foscari University of Venice, a book dedicated to areas of the country where often not even a past and a present of industrial excellence count as a sufficient condition for a future of growth. Competitive suburbs - Territorial development in the knowledge economy (published by il Mulino) is an essay that collects good practices and concrete examples of alternative paths to chasing capitals that travel on other tracks.

The concept of the suburbs is often reduced to a geographical conception, as opposed to a city center where there are more services, infrastructures and places of interest. The book by Buciuni and Corò, however, takes its cue from a new formulation. "The periphery that we mean - argues Buciuni - must be framed within the knowledge economy. The world has been following this path for years. And the real centers are much less than the centers we have known in the last great paradigm of the industrial economy". They would not, so to speak, be the big capital cities, the poles around which the A4 motorway that crosses northern Italy is sewn.

The teacher gives examples of Trevisofamous for sports footwear, by Reggio Emilia for the packaging, of Cremona for agribusiness. "The problem is that with the knowledge economy this paradigm changes. In the last 10 years - continues Buciuni - services with a high technological content have spread". At the dawn of the digital revolution, someone could have imagined that the web would spread excellence across the territories, giving anyone free access to take advantage of this growth vehicle. "On the other hand, it happened that these activities were concentrated in a few places, chosen places". The position taken by the academic is clear-cut, but nonetheless useful for the debate on the future of cities. "Milan is one of those few realities that grow at the expense of the suburbs".

From the point of view of the authors of Competitive suburbs, a few data are enough to understand how much the Lombard capital cannot be compared to other municipalities, even very close, an hour's drive away. "When you have 45% of the multinationals operating in Italy with their headquarters in Milan it is difficult not to think that it is not a zero-sum game". Originally from Treviso, Buciuni brings the case of Veneto: "The Region has more university students leaving than it manages to attract. If we then think of the large multinationals of the north-east, from insurance to fashion, all have CFOs in Milan" . So given the current situation, are there viable alternatives that have already been implemented?

"Today very few realities - highlights Buciuni - really feel like suburbs. We continue to look only at indicators such as the per capita GDP and instead do not take into account where the knowledge economy is headed". If they can't compete, what alternatives do they have? "Specializing in areas complementary to the primary cities. Combining the heritage of the districts with new forms of knowledge". An example cited by the authors is the city of Bologna. "It is investing in various production areas, such as that of the motor valley. And that's where it's positioning itself."

Universities in the era of the knowledge economy also play a key role in attracting talent and initiating partnerships with local companies. However, widespread universities with branches even in the suburbs that aim to become competitive must not be places inaugurated only to meet students who would thus avoid commuting. "Complexity and competitiveness also increase as a function of present and functioning universities".

With the Pnrr and the commitments made to innovate the country and lead it towards the various transitions, cities and territories are faced with an historic opportunity, which requires awareness on the part of policy makers, at all levels. "They are European funds that could certainly have an impact, but only if you consider the knowledge economy. If you think of yourself as part of a periphery, then you can make the leap towards competitiveness". To find out more on the subject, Giancarlo Corò, co-author of the book Periferie Competitive, will be a guest at the next appointment of City Vision to Napleson June 16.