Micropolis project: CCN Cagliari: Local case studies

Natural commercial center is a term that has spread in Italy since the late nineties with the aim of giving a more captivating expression to what until then had been called the „central commercial area” or „commercial area of the historic center”.

This is unlike what was happening in other western countries in the meantime, where the focus was not so much on the object (the central commercial area) as on management models (such as the town center management spread from Canada to the USA , to Great Britain and subsequently the business improvement district, a system of US origin which consists of imposing a purpose tax „from below” on the economic activities of a central commercial area in order to ensure a stable source of funding for town center management ). Therefore, „natural shopping center” is understood by those who use this expression as an aggregation of commercial establishments that operate by integrating with each other in an urban context. In US called: „business improvement district”.

In almost all countries of the world, in not recently established cities there is the presence of some district (in English „district”, frequently translated improperly in Italian with „distretto”), often coinciding with the historic center – or to use a more precise expression, with the „city center” – where there is a higher concentration of commercial activities than in other areas of the territory. It is, in hindsight, a situation or condition that:

a) it has nothing „natural”, since the creation of commercial areas in the historic city centers is the result of a planned desire on the part of entrepreneurs and local communities to create commercial clusters and services where people can meet, stroll, meet and shop;
b) it has no elements in common with the „shopping center” which is a cluster of commercial activities located within a building structure which in almost all cases is owned by a single economic entity which entrusts the management of the shopping center to a professional entity (e.g. a management company that has a director on site) who carries out his duties in application of a contract stipulated between the individual entrepreneurs and the management company. In fact, the central commercial area, even in cases in which it is emphatically referred to as a „natural commercial centre”, retains a high fragmentation of ownership of the real estate units in which the commercial activities are located and does not have a professional subject who legally and effectively has the power to coordinate and jointly manage the area.

In summary, what characterizes the central commercial areas of Italian cities – but not only Italian ones – is precisely that they are not „natural” areas and are not „shopping centres”.

The management of a natural commercial centre

The issue of coordinated and integrated management of commercial and tertiary activities in central commercial areas entrusted to a professional and with verification/measurement of the achievement of set objectives has been addressed in other countries with the use of a defined ”town center management”. The first experiences of this type are recorded in the sixties in Japan and Canada, then in Great Britain between 1990 and 2000 and then spread to France, Germany, Belgium and Spain. From the mid-nineties until about 2005 in Italy there were uncertain attempts to apply this approach accompanied by the production of some works on town center management. In the following years, interest in concrete experiments in the application of town center management culture in central Italian commercial areas waned, which, instead, gave way to a flourishing of traditional commercial animation initiatives, in the wake of the consolidated Italian experience of street associations and local merchant groups. Consortium CCN has been made to give an innovative image to this type of experience, also supported by public administrations (primarily the Regions), also through the use of words and neologisms such as in particular „natural shopping centres” and „commercial districts”.

WHO WE ARE

The Cagliari Centro Storico Consortium was established in 2007 according to the guidelines of the law Regional 25 February 2005, n. 5 aimed at promoting the aggregation of small businesses in the natural commercial centres – especially those included in the historic centre of the city – between them and with the living parts of the social body that animates the historical centres. Today the consortium has about 120 members, half of whom are located in the Marina and the district Largo Carlo Felice, like restaurants, hotels, traders, artisans, and many other businesses. The Consortium was founded with the intention of developing and qualifying the consortium companies to order to revitalize the urban center of Cagliari. To do this we realize the importance that dresses the citizen and above all the tourist in a reality rich in natural and architectural attractions that Sardinia and the city of Cagliari can offer. We therefore try to enhance and improve the individual activities involving them in events that attract more and more public in order to create a loyalty of the citizen who finds in these events a pleasant diversion and are for the tourist a valid reason to choose to spend part of his free time in the area.

The CCN’s mission is to build a sustainable attractiveness of the district. It is important to balance attractiveness for tourists and well-being for residents. We also want to create a place that is accessible all year round, safe, interesting, developing culturally and in terms of business..

With the help of the municipality of Sardinia, we have created and carried out many cultural, gastronomic and artistic events in cooperation with Sardinia, Italy, Poland, Finland and Germany.

The first actions

From the outset, we actively addressed the problems and opportunities associated with pedestrianization – integral or partial, temporary or indefinite – of some areas of the historic centre of Cagliari, in particularly in the Marina district and near the Largo Carlo Felice.

Since 2008 we have organized the limited pedestrianization at our own expense and under our responsibility over time (1 day) of some streets in the Marina district on the occasion of some events: great public attendance, appreciation by tourists and tourist organizations, satisfaction of economic operators and the municipal administration. From 2008 to 2012, the consortium was the promoter and organizer of the pedestrianization of the district Marina. Over the years, the events organized have obtained a significant response and it has been possible also organize them with public contributions

2009: again at our expense, full pedestrianization of vico Carlo Felice; for an indefinite period; experimental and temporary pedestrianization of via Sardegna, via Napoli and via Barcellona: great satisfaction of Cagliari citizens, tourists and, very importantly, sector operators (tour operators), strong leap forward in building the image of Cagliari as a tourist city, an important boost economic to the productive activities actively involved. All this always at our expense, from gate control to safety in pedestrian streets and more. From 2010 until today everything has passed to the Municipality with a complete pedestrianization.

Identity events

In these 15 years, the CCN has distinguished itself for the conception and proposition of a new valorization system territorial resources through the organization of national and international cultural events: historical re-enactments, especially from the Middle Ages in Cagliari promotional showcases of the artisan laboratory sector trade circuits/incentive events for intelligent shopping

Info Point

For several years, the CCN has played a fundamental role in the dissemination of the major ones for tourism purposes attractions of the city and essential services guaranteed to the tourism market. Several information points have followed one another, year after year, with qualified personnel and with the distribution of printed and IT information material. In recent years, a mobile info point has been added to the fixed offices which has conveyed images and information along the streets of the metropolitan center in an itinerant way.

Food and wine events

In the logic of enhancing territorial resources and a “brand” of cultural identity, the CCN has pursued, over time, synergistic actions with other Sardinian natural shopping centres. Through exchange actions, also commercial, it has been possible to enrich the tourist offer in a way heterogeneous, introducing experiential activities that have highlighted similarities and differences between Cagliari and the rural and coastal villages.

Thanks to the intuition of the consortium, a special channel has been opened dedicated to food and wine contests that have often involved the exemplary references of chefs international names, signatures of culinary journalism and personalities of culture and entertainment.

Here are some of the organized events:

The Carciofestival – dedicated to the prickly artichoke of Villasor the authentic protagonist of the competing recipes

L’Italia si Gusta, which envisaged and implemented the participation of a jury of the highest national level.

Un Piatto Senza Confini – exclusive showcase on the regional culinary proposal, with the involvement of chefs of declared international fame.

EVENTS:

Event 2009 with the contribution of the Municipality of Cagliari

An event called „Cagliari Porta Della Sardegna” on 26/27/28 June, it is proposed as the main actor for the food and wine tradition of Cagliari in which 20 restaurants offered a typical menu of the cuisine Cagliari area, an exhibition of artistic craftsmanship has been set up by the craftsmen of Cagliari, proposed traditional Sardinian music, the hotels have proposed three days in the historic center of Cagliari of identity.

Event 2011 with the contribution of the Municipality of Cagliari

An Event called „Marina di Gusto„ on 11/12 August, aimed above all at tourists, explained and proposed with the restaurants in the historic center the typical dishes of the Cagliaritan tradition, the entertainment part music was organized with a Band of 13 itinerant musicians „Large Street Band„, the hotels have proposed 2 days in Cagliari between food and music. The Marina di Gusto event, again with the patronage of the Municipality of Cagliari, was proposed with the same characteristics, also in 2012/2013/2014.

Events 2012 with the contribution of ASPEN of Nuoro, Province of Ogliastra

An Event called „Sapori D’ Ogliastra” on 15/16/17 June. It was thought of holding a demonstration which brings together food and wine producers and artisans within the historic center of the city of Cagliari coming from Ogliastra, alongside the already consolidated local realities through the layout of three different itineraries: food and wine, artisanal and artistic, all

promoted in web journals, press, radio, television. The goal is to increase tourism in the historical centre.

Events 2013 in collaboration with Germany and with the contribution of the Municipality of Cagliari

Design and implementation of the promotional campaign called „Window of Sardinia – Cagliari Mediterranean heart” in the period June/July. A campaign has been set up to promote the city of Cagliari in the German tourist market for a rediscovery of local places and flavours.

Events 2014 „Marina di Gusto”

In addition to the already mentioned „Marina di Gusto„ with the contribution of the Municipality of Cagliari, others were participated events by collaborating with other associations such as the Sardinia Costa Sud Tourist Consortium and with the University of Cagliari on the occasion of the International Master in Clinical Pharmacy.

Events 2015 University of Cagliari

We collaborated again with the University of Cagliari For the Master Clinical Pharmacy in June.

Event „Scents of wine„

Food and wine event where the main actor is the Vermentino that is offered with of fish dishes, participate in 20 restaurants.

Events 2016 INFOCAGLIARI

The first tourist info point in the historic center of Cagliari, managed by the Consortium for the promotion and enhancement of the territory and associated activities. Duration 6 months May/October.

Summer event of food and wine promotion Called „Marina di gusto”

The event is created in the summer to make our products known in synergy with 20 restaurants, 8 hotels, craft workshops. The main actor is the food, the dishes of Cagliari cuisine such as Sa Burrida, la Sardinian fregola with clams, bottarga and more are offered by the restaurants, the hotels promote it at their facilities. Widespread exhibits on history of the city.

Events 2017

MASKS IN THREE ACTS ( PARTLY SPONSORED BY THE REGION OF SARDINIA )

The Event is organized with three different but similar events that tell the masks of Sardinia and the rantantina Cagliaritana with dishes of Sardinian winter cuisine, to offer an identity tourism emotional. The goal is to create a different tourist offer in such a difficult time of year as February March. First event of the Chinese New Year together with the regional association of the Chinese in Sardinia. This event of great cultural significance unites two peoples. The Consortium and the Chinese community they organize culinary, artisanal, cultural comparisons and conferences on Chinese tourism.

EVENTS 2018

Creation of the first mobile tourist info and the Mycagliari card

The first mobile infocagliari is a round-shaped structure mounted on a bike. It moves in historic center giving the same information as a classic tourist office. We created the first tourist card called „Mycagliaricard” can be downloaded free of charge from the consortium website. The advantages are, discounts in restaurants, hotels, shopping, prizes for card holders.

How to involve local business organizations in creating a community of resident and the cultural life of of the district and building a strong, inclusive identity.

In order to involve local businesses and residents in the social life and common activities of the territory, we first need to examine what are the dominant values of the location, get to know and make sustainable use of the cultural assets of a city or territory. In our case – Cagliari – we are in the center of the historic city. The historical center is a cultural and identity richness, an attraction for tourists. Therefore, we assume that it is also an attractive place for business. So we have to assume a priori – what district do we want? We must build a balance, strengthen the growth of strong points that characterize the territory. Everything is arranged so as not to disturb the inhabitants of the district. At a common table, we set a strategy – what companies we want in the historic center and which we can invite to cooperation. Valorise these assets and provide the assets’ carriers with opportunities in this sense.

In our case – to achieve balance and well-being of the inhabitants, we invited craft laboratories, restaurants with typical Sardinian cuisine, hotels, bars. On this occasion, we do not forget about the residents and the services that make their lives easier: parking lots, sidewalks, bars and restaurants closing hours until midnight, cleaning services, grocery stores and more. It is up to us – the administrators, to decide which district we will build. If we open a lot of bars on one street – with alcohol open at night – customers will come only at night and only to the bar.

Therefore, we build valuable places. We strengthen history, tradition, culture, folklore, but we also give opportunities to open new companies and new ideas. In the historic center it is important to strengthen the identity of the district. We build event offers on this basis – if we have craftsmen’s laboratories – we focus on art, symbolism, jewelry, where we have restaurants – we focus on gastronomy, where we have other nationalities – we focus on getting to know other cultures and customs. We try to organize events throughout the year – not only during the tourist season. We organize courses and trainings, which can also be attended free of charge by the inhabitants of the district – getting to know the customs, creative processes and culture.

How to build a great cooperation network between business and culture and activities supporting the community

Cultural heritage and a vibrant creative economy can increase territorial attractiveness for tourists and citizens. At the same time, the role of culture in spurring innovation as well as supporting well-being, health, life-long learning and the creation of social capital have become prominent. Finally also key word is respect. In each action that is proposed in our district – we remember not only about tourists and not only about the fact that companies has to earn money, but also not to disturb residents in normal life. We organize many musical events where you can dance, sing and play music, but according to stabilized rules. This gives an advantage to our companies and guarantees cooperation with residents, as well as activation in various actions and activities.

CASE STUDY I: CREATING THE INTERACTIVE APPLICATIONS SUPPORTING LOCAL CULTURAL AND ACTIVATING ACTIVITIES

The Marina as a large „tourist village” with My Cagliari Card. In 2018, the Consorzio Cagliari Centro Storico presented the first tourist card of the district, which guarantees customers discounts and promotions to be used in hotels, restaurants, clothing stores and associated crafts.

The card, totally free, allows tourists to take advantage not only of discounts inside the Marina but also of a bike-sharing service, made available by the Consortium: holders of the „My Cagliari Card” are entitled to one hour of free bike rental. In addition, a 50% discount is guaranteed for admission to the Sant’Eulalia Museum (subject to availability).

„A project that is part of an overall synergistic strategy between the small businesses of the neighborhood – made possible thanks to the tender of the Region: the goal is to attract more and more tourists to the Marina by increasing the quality of the area with innovative services”.

To promote the new tourist service around the city is an absolute novelty: the mobile Info Point, which made its first official release on Thursday 19 July 2018, on the occasion of the „Colored Nights”.

A modern bicycle, designed to meet the tourist in an ecological way, which – with a tablet on board – offers the visitor all the information necessary to orient himself in the city and enjoy his holiday to the fullest. The tablet is directly connected to the tourist site created specifically for card holders, from there the tourist can access his discounts and choose which partner hotel to stay in, which restaurant to dine in and where to go shopping.n the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

The service started with 40 associated companies – now it has about 120 members, including hotels, restaurants, pizzerias, bars, clothing stores, souvenir shops and craft shops, but is growing rapidly. In the dedicated application, tourists can see the affiliated facilities with a virtual map and easily choose where to go, day by day, based on the discounts and offers available. It is important that the small businesses of the neighborhood have come together to give an incentive to territorial marketing because this is the only way to create a cohesive tourist system and to better organize how to make an area attractive by selecting the reference target.

An innovative and very simple system for visitors: „MyCagliari Card” can be downloaded free of charge from play applications, alternatively, it can be requested directly in the city, at the InfoPoint of the Cagliari Centro Storico Consortium

What you can do with My Cagliari Card:

1 hour of free bike rental

50% discount on admission to the Sant’Eulalia Museum;

20% off in partner clothing stores;

10% discount in associated restaurants, hotels and various shops.

Case study II: FESTIVAL „PROMO PRIX SARDEGNA” 2022

Premio promozionale della Sardegna is a whole set of promotional activities aimed at expanding the cooperation network – through partners’ knowledge of CCN Cagliari and tightening local cooperation by co-creating the offer.

To this end, CCN Cagliari invited other CCN twin associations in Sardinia to co-create the offer and fund prizes in the form of visits, hotel stays, dinner packages and other experiences. Several hundred people from various organizations took part in this cooperation. The task and the idea is to exchange barter exchange.

The project is carried out on the occasion of every event in Sardinia and beyond. Recent realizations of our idea:

– artichoke festival – when our affiliated restaurants used the entrusted products of our partner Villasor (famous for artichoke cultivation) to cook dishes based on artichoke – which were then assessed by a children’s jury and customers. The best photo and description were awarded the stay in Cagliari for 2 people prize.

– during a visit to Poland – we organized a test for members of our partner. The best answers were rewarded with 10 vouchers for a stay in Cagliari on a course organized by our consortium. The course involved getting to know our territory and culture, getting to know our partners and our consortium, learning how to make products.

One whole day was devoted to a sommelier course and a course on Sardinian products: pecorino cheeses and olive oil.

There are over 200 species of olive trees in the world, only in Italy more than 20 species are produced. Sardinia is famous for its very good quality products, we want this to be chosen and appreciated by our residents and visitors. The courses we organize strengthen people’s awareness of choice, but also focus on quality products, healthy products and products available at kilometer zero (short production chain)

Sardinia Promotional Award An experiential tour to celebrate friendship and cooperation between Sardinia and Poland. Solve the tests and become an „Ambassador of Sardinia”! First test in Poland: candidates will have to answer the 12 questions of the questionnaire and send the scan to the email consorziocagliaricentrostorico@gmail.com Among those who have answered correctly, 10 prizes will be awarded to the first 10 candidates who will send the test by email. They will become „Student Ambassadors of Sardinia”. Second and definitive test in Sardinia in October 2022: the winners will have to pass a practical test of artisan cooking in order to then receive the official certificate of „Ambassador of Sardinia”. The prize: 10 stays for two people in Cagliari, Villasor and other territories. 3 nights for each stay and experiential tourist programme. To discover the history, culture, food and wine, nature and people of the most authentic Sardinia.

Case study III: PROJECT LYSKOR FOUNDED BY THE EU UNDER THE LEADER+ PROGRAM ENTITLED: „LA POLONIA INCONTRA LA SARDEGNA” 2021 AND 2022

The task was to implement a cooperation project with a foreign partner from Italy – Consorzio Cagliari Centro Storico (hereinafter: CCN) and GAL (Gruppo di Azione Locale) Campidano (hereinafter: GAL).

As part of the preparation of the cooperation project at the turn of 2021 and 2022, the LYSKOR LAG got to know its previous partners, i.e. GAL Campidano and Consorzio Cagliari Centro Storico. As part of the meetings during the visits of each partner, we broadened our horizons. LAG „Partnerstwo dla Rozwoju” (hereinafter: PDR) zs. in Pietrowice Wielkie. In addition, we also met the neighboring and cooperating with CCN Cagliari similar groups, i.e. CCN Calasetta and CCN Villasor. All partners have similar goals and coherent undertakings. These include: promotion of local values, development of entrepreneurship, development of tourism and gastronomy as well as support for local cultural, social, historical and natural heritage. During the visits, it also turned out that we have a common history of industrial development in Sardinia and Silesia. For example, Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck was the owner of mines in Sardinia and steelworks in Poland: Zabrze, Piekary and Bytom. He also invested in France. The Ballestrem family from Italy, on the other hand, invested in the industry by building one of the largest concerns in Upper Silesia. This is confirmed by the information found in the Silesian Museum in Katowice, which we visited during a visit to Poland in December 2021.

During joint meetings, the partners inventoried their resources, found points of contact and differences. Recognizing the richness of the cultural, historical, natural and culinary heritage of all Partners, and bearing in mind the benefits of knowledge transfer in the promotion of this heritage, the partners declared their willingness to cooperate closely, consisting in the exchange of experience in the promotion of local resources and the mutual transfer of knowledge and exchange of know-how.

As part of the operation, a visit of representatives of partners from Poland to the area of partners from Sardinia and the organization of a return visit were planned. The aim of the partner visits was to learn about mutual ways to promote the above-mentioned projects. heritage, integration of entities working for the development of each partner’s area, exchange of experiences. The operation was carried out from April 2022 to October 2022. It was addressed to representatives of all partners, a total of about 90 people. The project provides for study visits of each partner to the area of the other groups. The project began with a visit of representatives of local leaders from LAG LYSKOR and PDR to the area of operation of leaders from Sardinia, followed by a return visit.

The course of the operation assumed the following actions:

Task I: visit of partners from Poland to the area of partners from Italy, which took place at the turn of April and May 2022. It consisted of a visit of 40 representatives of the LYSKOR LAG and 25 representatives of the PDR in the area of operation of the GAL and CCN. The following activities were carried out as part of the visit:

– presentation of the culinary heritage by tasting regional products

– presentation of groups from Poland and participation in a local event, creation of a stand promoting partners from Poland

– participation in culinary and handicraft workshops to learn how to produce products typical for partners

– getting to know the cultural heritage (participation in a local procession inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List)

– getting to know the historical heritage and visiting the ethnographic museum

Task II: visit of partners from Sardinia to the area of partners from Poland

This visit was scheduled for August 2022. The following activities were carried out as part of the visit:

– participation in a local event promoting traditions and customs, i.e. harvest festival – harvest festival and Slavic party

– visiting the Guido Mine

– kayaking on the Ruda River in the PDR area

– organization of joint workshops, development of a common product (handicraft or gastronomy).

Task III: development of a common promotion system.

The effect of the above tasks was to develop a joint promotion system consisting of:

– using social accounts to promote local events of partners, using local tourist promotion offices, supporting each other in promotion, posting information about local partner events

– creating a common product promoting the area of all partners.

The implementation of this operation allowed for mutual learning from other partners on how to promote and nurture local heritage, translating it into our own realities, and implementing best practices.

Case studies CCN Centro Commerciale Naturale Cagliari Centro Storico – Cultural, social, tourist and business center

ASSOCIATION CURRICULUM VITAE

THE BACKGROUND