Shanghai2010

From October the 8th to October the 14th Rome is assisting at the “Rome’s week”, taking place at the Italian Pavilion, Shanghai Universal Expo, in cooperation with the Economic Development Ministry, the Foreign Trade National Institute and the Chamber of Commerce of Rome. Starting from Sunday evening, the Mayor Gianni Alemanno, together with a restricted delegation from Campidoglio, will be in China, with visits foreseen to Beijing on Monday, October the 11th and Tuesday the 12th, then to Shanghai on Wednesday the 13th and Thursday 14th.

It’s the first international mission after the birth of Rome Capital, hosting also twenty companies representing Rome’s productive network. In the occasion of the institutional travel, the Mayor will be with the Ambassador Umberto Vattani, Ice’s President, as well as the Counsellor Francesco Maria Orsi, Delegate for Shanghai Expo 2010 and a delegation of businessmen represented by Luigi Abete, President of BNL, BNP Paribas and Cinecittà’s Studios, Massimo Arlecchino, President of Fondazione Valore Italia, Giancarlo Cremonesi, President of Acea and the Chamber of Commerce of Rome, Pierluigi Borghini and Riccardo Mancini, respectively President and Managing Director of Ente Eur spa, as well as Aurelio Regina, President of Unione Industriali Romani.

The agreement between Rome Capital and the General Commissariat for Expo, chaired by Beniamino Quintieri, has guaranteed the presence of important persons and has given Rome the chance of great visibility, thanks to the help of the Foreign Trade Institute and the engagement of the Delegate Francesco Maria Orsi.

At the first floor of the Italian Pavilion, designed by Architect Giampaolo Imbrighi, from Rome’s University “Sapienza”, Rome Capital’s show room has been set up; the most relevant Roman celebrities will be exhibited, as well as the main projects concerning structural interventions able to change Rome’s image within next ten years, that is by 2020, year in which the thirty second Olympics’ edition and the sixteenth edition of Paralympics Games will take place and for which Rome has applied to host them, along a strategic development process called “Millennium Project”.

A week of events, conferences, workshops, meetings and exhibitions for illustrating, to the numerous International and Chinese visitors, Rome’s potentialities as European Capital, an example to follow for the future, and candidate to host Olympics by playing the role of catalyst for projects, investments and sustainable development and growth models. As for the theme launched on the occasion of Expo “better city, better life”, the presence of Rome Capital in Shanghai proposes to observers, as well as International stakeholders, territorial marketing strategies and guidelines developed by the Municipal Government, in order to improve balance in urban structures and environment.

The project presented in Shanghai is certainly the most important environmental and urban requalification proposal ever existed in Italy: from the Olympic Park to the City of Sport, from the strengthening of airport system, leading to a gradual improvement of passengers, that is 55 millions of presences by the year 2020, to the Tiber’s park, from the social housing plan for 27,000 new houses to the Sustainable Mobility Plan, foreseeing 13 millions of Euros in terms of investments, to improve and integrate transport network in Rome’s metropolitan area.

On October the 10th the Second Tourist Pole is going to be presented; it’s an urban area of 27.000 hectares, which should promote a variegated offer for new tourist segments, as well as International events such as Formula 1 Championship and the realization of a new Conventions’ Centre (Eur area), as well as the “Cloud” designed by Architect Massimiliamo Fuksas.

Rome’s Municipality, coordinated by the Mayor Alemanno, has articulated this proposal by following a precise strategic plan called “Millennium Project”, in order to prepare Rome for facing the challenge of Olympics and improve its infrastructures and tourist facilities. For this urban transformation process Rome aims to gather private capitals, by involving the greatest possible number of national and international operators. In this sense, Rome’s visibility at the Expo of Shanghai may be regarded as the first stage for a future road show to be played all over the world.

On October the 11th, in the Chinese capital, the Mayor is meeting the persons in charge for Beijing Olympics’ Organizational Committee and is visiting structures and sites used for Olympic games in 2008. On Tuesday the 12th, together with the Headmaster of Architecture, in Valle Giulia’s University, the first Rome’s citizen is calling a press conference at Beijing’s “Tsinghua” University. In the afternoon, the Mayor is opening the special “business to business” session, organized by Ice, involving Roman and Chinese entrepreneurs.

On Wednesday, October the 13th, the delegation is leaving to Shanghai, to meet students and academic teachers of ”TongJi” University; on this occasion, there will be a visit to the exhibition “Drawing and Design”, organized by Ice; in the evening a visit to the exposition “High Design and High Technologies”, organized by Oice (a category association affiliated to Confindustria), representing Italian organizations of engineering, architecture and economic-technical consulting at the World Trade Centre of Shanghai Expo.

Thursday the 14th will be completely dedicated to “Rome’s week”, scheduled at the Italian Pavilion.