The programme for the urban and social renewal of schools is now in full swing thanks to the AdvisoryHub Protocol signed by the two institutions
Draw up a comprehensive overview of the existing real estate in order to initiate a sustainable redevelopment of scholastic facilities as part of the local community's urban and social renewal project. As part of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in November 2023 by the Municipality of Livorno and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, the first phase of strategic planning aimed at promoting and improving the energy efficiency of the city's schools has been completed.
The collaboration was made possible thanks to the resources of the European Union under the InvestEU Programme and CDP itself, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Advisory being a partner of the European Commission to support and strengthen the technical and administrative capacities of those implementing investment projects.
On Tuesday, 24 September, a meeting to discuss the progress of the works was held at the town hall. The participants of the meeting were: for Cassa Depositi e Prestiti the Scholastic Infrastructure Competence Centre team comprising Massimiliano Pulice, Marco Salone, Domenico Contino and Maria Luisa Mattei; the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Energy Competence Centre team of Roberto Ferrante, Andrea Petrina, Gianluca Trotta, Federico Zizzini and Alessandro Petrucci; Livorno Deputy Mayor Libera Camici, the councillors Silvia Viviani and Federico Mirabelli, and staff from the administration's technical offices dedicated to the initiative.
The study, which began last December, included an initial phase to survey scholastic facilities and define the perimeter under analysis, focusing on approximately 60 institutions: nursery schools, pre-schools, primary and secondary schools.
Thanks to the synergy of the administration’s offices (Public Works Department, Education Sector and Information Systems), it was possible to gather a great deal of information on the buildings in order to create a database of details related to maintenance, structures, plants and energy use, which made it possible to produce a unified, organic overview of the scholastic building stock.
The analysis was then extended to the surrounding area, taking into consideration urban planning programmes and projects in order to incorporate and frame the development of the schools within the future vision of the city.
To ensure that the redevelopment of the scholastic building stock was consistent with the actual educational needs of the local community, an in-depth study of demographic trends and the schooling of the population of Livorno was also completed, calculating projections as far out as 2040.
The study also developed a detailed analysis of possible solutions to improve the energy efficiency of all schools, in harmony with European and national regulations. The goal is to reduce energy consumption and the carbon footprint, considering both environmental impact and economic and financial sustainability. This will make the schools more efficient, comfortable and less costly in the long run, as well as reduce CO2 emissions almost completely.
The study then outlines a series of strategic actions, offering the administration various scenarios and proposals for the strategic planning of the modernisation of the schools’ facilities.
The final phase of this activity, which will take place from October to December 2024, will result in the planning of investments that meets the criteria of sustainability and feasibility of the works.
The goal is to provide comfortable spaces for students and teachers while also promoting sustainable practices (such as the installation of renewable energy and low-consumption heating systems) to contribute to the environmental education of future generations and their local communities.