The Regional Conference of RESOLVE project was held in Reggio Emilia on February 28th.
The meeting represented an occasion of learning dedicated to the relationship between mobility issues and the trade evolution in historical city centres and it was aimed particularly at retailers from Reggio Emilia city centre.
Professor Giuliano Mingardo from Erasmus University in Rotterdam led the debate with the large audience that took part in the meeting.
Starting from the analysis of international examples and the factors that influence the vitality of historical centres in general, he highlighted a wide range of aspects on which retailers and the Public Administration can work to increase the attractiveness of the city.
The debate focused more deeply into the context of Reggio Emilia with the presentation of a series of statistical data and the results of the interviews that from 2017 involved about 800 visitors of the historical centre.
In different periods, even during the evening time slot, a sample of visitors was interviewed with the aim of collecting marketing data, travel habits and general impressions about the city. The results of the questionnaires opened a fruitful discussion on opportunities and critical issues, touching not only on aspects related to accessibility and mobility, but also highlighting the need to find together with the Administration a vision able to further enhance the identity of the historical centre.
The meeting represents one step in the process of commercial enhancement of the historical city centre, which involves business associations and operators and it is aimed at implementing policies to increase the attractiveness of commercial enterprises and the number of potential initiatives to be promoted.
