LABMET - Metropolitan Innovation Laboratory of the Metropolitan City of Cagliari

The LABMET - Metropolitan Laboratory of Innovation was established within the Strategic Metropolitan Plan of the City of Cagliari, gathering suggestions from citizens and local institutions. The Strategic Plan has played an essential role in the policies of the Metropolitan City, creating an awareness and reflection space on issues related to urban development and planning, including the need for systemic territorial management. This process led to the ideal conditions for promoting participatory territorial policies, which materialized in the Metropolitan City of Cagliari’s project 45 - Urban Lab for citizens’ participation and project proposal. LABMET was established to assist authorities and entities in urban planning processes and territorial policies, providing training and sharing services on urban/territorial issues and developing operational and innovative projects and policies(Fenu 2023). LABMET consists of three main pillars: Observatory: Collects, selects, organizes, and disseminates information and data on the Metropolitan City’s territory. Research: Develops solid knowledge bases from good practices and the positive experiences of already operational urban labs and delves into themes related to urban planning, social, statistical, environmental, energy, and sustainability in general. Participation: Promotes collaboration, consultation, and training pathways related to urban policies and metropolitan and territorial planning and programming. Activities are focused on designing participatory processes and using the ParteciPA platform for initiatives aimed at officials of the Metropolitan City and its 17 municipalities, local stakeholders, and citizens. The objectives of LABMET include fostering inclusive and sustainable development of the metropolitan territory, innovation in public administration, accessibility to the knowledge of the territory and environment, strengthening the economic and social development of communities, promoting technological and informatics innovation, enhancing participation and shared planning of the territory, improving the quality of the landscape and citizens’ lives, and promoting the social cohesion of the communities living in the metropolitan territory. A series of activities related to the three pillars mentioned above were carried out in the first year of experimentation, which was useful for drafting the feasibility study. The participation activities, horizontal participation processes, and the first cycle of introductory laboratory meetings were promoted to imagine and build together the new metropolitan agency. This involved the offices of the Metropolitan City and its 17 municipalities and stakeholders such as professional orders, trade associations, unions, and the university. The research phase, strongly fueled by the indications and ideas in the three stakeholder engagement meetings, involved analysing and comparing good national and European practices. Urban agencies as a tool for urban transition were investigated through the study of documentary material and targeted interviews to identify possible activities, missions, governance systems, management models, economic models, and impacts. The Observatory promoted and managed the collection, selection, organization, and dissemination of data and information, aiming to build and progressively enrich the shared knowledge base to support public interest choices. The pilot project focused on the systematization of data on green areas of the 17 municipalities. Urban agencies play a crucial role between the technical and political spheres, acting as a hub between territorial planning and urban policies. As mediators among various actors, they navigate between local and international contexts. With a forward-looking and territorial perspective capable of scaling from micro to macro, they build structured networks for collaborative, shared, and mutualized work based on exchanging practices and knowledge. LABMET is a digital and physical space for sharing and disseminating urban issues, a tool for developing the metropolitan territory, and a community for open discussion. It is also a method of development and guidance for public spending, aiming to maximum inclusion, participation, transparency, and monitorability. LABMET could be an operational entity and a strategic facilitator for public policy development and decision-making support on territorial strategies and major projects. With its comprehensive approach to urban challenges, LABMET is positioned to drive transformation in Cagliari’s metropolitan area, ensuring that development is sustainable, inclusive, and future-oriented. The agency is evidence of the power of participatory planning and the collective shaping of a city’s destiny, serving as a model for metropolitan innovation and civic engagement. It encourages exchanges and partnerships and multidisciplinary and coherent public policies aligned with local culture, economy, and environment, fostering the emergence of “smart planning,” which is open and driven by elected authorities and all stakeholders from conception to project realization.