Case study report - Reggio Emilia

Reggio Emilia, capital city of the province with the same name, is the fourth largest city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna (following Bologna, Modena, and Parma), with a population of 171.342 – an increase of 18,3% since 2001. The population of the FUA reached 286.000 in 2022. The city’s annual per capita income is well above the national average (€ 25.026 in 2022, as compared to € 21.752, INTWIG, 2024, based on MEF data). Reggio Emilia, the region’s “manufacturing core”, has long been characterised by its industrial heritage, which is evident in its urban development and cityscape. An important example of this is the former “Officine Meccaniche Reggiane”, one of the country’s most important heavy-industry manufacturers in the 20^th century, situated north of the train station and currently a main site of an urban regeneration intervention – the “Reggiane Parco Innovazione” – which is transforming the facility into a hub for innovative technology enterprises and research.