In continuity and coherence with the work carried out in 2024, the central objective of the CNAPPC’s 2025 – March 2026 program is to provide, through the shared commitment of its departments and the Scientific Committee, a vision and a roadmap for the transformation of Italian cities and territories. Proximity is the key to a new, sustainable geographic economy, driven by a polycentric approach and services that enhance the quality of life in more liveable and sustainable environments, focused on the needs of inhabitants.
Making cities and territories liveable for all is one of the great challenges of the 21st century, as the future of the world is undeniably urban.
It is in cities and in their suburban areas that the challenges related to quality of life are concentrated. These challenges must be addressed by embracing the European objectives for energy policy and climate protection, along with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These objectives promote a collective approach to urban planning aimed at creating polycentric and equitable cities and territories, fostering gender and ethnic equality, and citizen engagement, as a response to past urban models characterized by urban sprawl, car dependency, and social inequalities.
In recent years, Italy’s main response to these objectives consists in the urban regeneration concept: an innovative approach that has played a key role in shifting focus from land consumption to the reuse of existing assets.
Nowadays, the urban regeneration concept has entered the common vocabulary and is at the centre of many draft laws. However, its widespread use has more and more often led to a misuse of the concept — even in draft laws — confusing it with mere building renovation and/or replacement.
Urban regeneration is something else. It is a complex process influenced by a variety of factors, such as economic, social, cultural, demographic, and environmental dynamics, demanding a deep understanding of the intricate interaction between such elements.
In short, rethinking urban regeneration requires a holistic approach, involving a broad range of assessments and interventions to be carried out in the medium-long term, and engaging a wide spectrum of actors with diverse interests.
It is not a simple and easy process, as the attractiveness and added economic, social, and cultural value of cities and territories depend on this complexity and on the interdependence of their components.
Cities and territories are complex organisms; assuming that:
– There is no simple range of approaches for urban governance capable of creating proximity-based cities and territories in every context;
– The right combination of tools and policies depends on specific contexts, circumstances, resources, and local practices;
Rethinking urban regeneration from a methodological perspective requires a holistic approach that integrates and promotes a cultural change among the many institutions and stakeholders involved in shaping places and spaces.
In an age of growing individualism and polarization, the UN-Habitat “Proximity Agenda” developed through the “Urban Maestro” project reminds us that collectively organized solutions can be more efficient and beneficial for all, as compared to the sum of individual decisions.
It is with these premises, goals, and methods in mind, that the CNAPPC — through the network of its departments and of the International Scientific Committee chaired by Prof. Carlos Moreno, and with the involvement of local professional Orders — aims at pursuing the principles and strategies for proximity-based cities and territories, outlined in the “ITALY IN PROXIMITY” book, by transforming them into concrete and applicable methodologies.

The question on the future of living, the form and nature of our territories is at the core of the reflections of anyone seeking to envision the evolution of our society and collective coexistence.
In line with one of the key objectives of its programme “PROJECT OF THE FUTURE: WHAT CITIES AND TERRITORIES DO WE WANT TO LIVE IN?”, the CNAPPC has launched, through its Department of Urban Reform and Future of the City, a new course of study aimed at contributing to the urban regeneration challenge in our cities and territories. This initiative explores new ways of living, working, and moving, grounded in the principle of “Sustainable Proximity”.
This work focuses on the model of the city of proximity, a concept that is developing rapidly throughout the world, also thanks to the COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic, while being a profound tragedy, also acted as an accelerator of processes, exposing the fragile current social, economic and spatial structures of cities and territories, and highlighting the need for a substantial and innovative rethinking of urban “well-being indicators” for citizens.
“Sustainable Proximity” represents a potential strategy to optimize mobility, reduce pollution, improve the economy, and reshape urban spaces in order to prioritize sustainability in all its forms and restore a new value to time. This approach promotes polycentric cities that bring services closer to inhabitants, simplify transport, reduce inequalities, and enhance social cohesion, while adding value to quality of life.
The Department concluded its 2024 activities and events with the presentation of the “Italy in Proximity” book on November 5th 2024, at the American University in Cairo, on the occasion of the XII World Urban Forum organized by UN-Habitat. On April 4th, the Department launched its 2025 programme on the subject of Government and Territory in the Galileo Galilei Auditorium at the University of Padua, during the International Symposium “The Wealth of Nations and the Role of Architecture for a Urban Economy centred on Human Well-being”, with Nobel Laureate in Economics (2008) Paul Krugman.
The objective of the CNAPPC, of the Scientific Committee and of the Department, is to raise awareness among lawmakers about the huge responsibility they bear in shaping territorial governance. The urgent decisions, that must be made regarding urban development, will have significant impacts, particularly on future generations.
Concern for the planet’s crisis and the pursuit of a healthier, human-scale lifestyle within a context of greater social justice should lie at the heart of efforts to build the future.
These must be the key principles for today’s decision-makers, with a view toward the long-term interests of the country.

To lend concreteness and scientific solidity to its “Project for the Future,” the CNAPPC invited Carlos Moreno — internationally renowned Franco-Colombian academic, Professor at IAE Paris 1 Sorbonne University, and creator of the “15-Minute City” concept — to serve as advisor to the National Council and to chair the International Scientific Committee. The Committee was established thanks to Professor Moreno’s extensive global network, with the participation of leading experts from a variety of disciplines, selected for their outstanding expertise and knowledge in key scientific fields, relevant to today’s urban challenges.
The Committee held its first meeting on May 27th 2023, at the CNAPPC headquarters in Piazza Navona, Rome. This gathering laid the foundation for a joint work that has since continued uninterrupted, characterized by an ongoing dynamic and privileged exchange of ideas and inspiration.
The work carried out with Carlos Moreno and the Scientific Committee – through numerous online and in-person meetings in Rome, Paris, Verona, Copenhagen – is providing proposals for concrete and innovative solutions. They are evaluating strategies, ideas, and projects that promote more humane, liveable, and sustainable cities and territories, inspired by the most successful international experiences. Central to this vision is the concept of proximity, in all its forms, considered as a powerful driver of urban transformation.
The outcomes of this work have been collected in the first book: “ITALY IN PROXIMITY: THE FUTURE OF URBAN AND TERRITORIAL PLANNING.”
The book — developed under the expert Scientific Direction of Carlos Moreno and enriched by contributions from the entire Committee and other leading experts — presents concrete analyses and methodological proposals for urban transformation, that can be an alternative to both traditional regulatory urban planning and conventional building, real estate, and financial dynamics.
The objective of the publication is to highlight the unsustainability of current urban and territorial development models, while raising awareness among those involved in urban transformation of their shared responsibility to design for regeneration through operational models for circular cities and intelligent resource management.
In order to further promote and enrich the debate on “sustainable urban proximity,” the National Council, as part of its 2025–March 2026 program, has welcomed the proposal by Carlos Moreno and the Scientific Committee to launch a dedicated website. This platform will serve to organize, promote, discuss and disseminate the Committee’s reflections, proposals, and initiatives, in collaboration with the CNAPPC, and to foster dialogue, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing with Italian professional Orders and major national and international stakeholders engaged in planning, sustainability, and urban and territorial regeneration.