A day in Udine/Friuli - budding learning city/region?

Udine is a small city of 100,000 souls about 120 kilometres North of Venice. It is the capital city of the region of Friuli, which adds another 70,000 or so people to the headcount. In former times,  it was ruled by a wide selection of invaders, most of whom came, saw, conquered and stayed. Aquilea,  to the south of the region, was the second largest Roman city/port in antiquity – all that remains of it are a few stones down by the now non-existent river and a 4th century cathedral with some stunning mosaics.

Enough of the travel guide. My purpose in visiting Udine was twofold. First to fulfil a long-desired wish to visit the city that played a large part in a 1970s TV programme called ‘Jeux sans Frontieres’ (and contrasted strongly with both Bolton and Harrow, my previous habitations), and to convert the city leaders to the new religion of ‘Learning City. ’ This was the last presentation in a two month long programme of speakers and idea-swapping called Friuli Futures, in which eminent people from the locality and beyond the sea presented their particular vision. Thus professors of Viticulture, Genetics and Gastronomic Science from the local university vied with luminaries such as Brinda Dalal of the Palo Alto Institute of the future (The Human Internet),   Kurt Schmiedinger of Meatrix (Future Food), and Andreas Deleski  of the Vauban Institute (Future urbanism). I am not sure how many citizens turned up for these musings on their future but, in my session,  I can say that there were  70 people, mostly academics and businesspeople, and that all-important personage, the mayor, who had just returned from a meeting in India of the international mayors’ Convention meeting on Sustainability.  The format was a presentation on Learning Cities followed by a stage discussion with the mayor, followed by an open discussion when the audience could view their reactions and views.

Thus my presentation took in the rationale for building a learning city as a vision for the future, the changes that would need to be made to mindsets, educational practices and curricula, the major features that would distinguish a learning city from its present incarnation and the more practical issues on how to measure and monitor its performance and progress. For the latter I adopted the message of the recently approved UNESCO Key Features and discussed some of the more relevant ones affecting the city (economic development, sustainability, social inclusion, individual empowerment, human resource mobilisation, stakeholder involvement, new skills and developing political will and commitment – all the learning city clichés we all know and love.)  I also mentioned the PASCAL LearningCities2020 initiative as a potential aid agency for confused city leaders. In the space of half an hour the English to Italian translator worked extremely hard and fast.

Not surprisingly it was the latter topic that the mayor fastened onto. He said that he himself was completely convinced that this is a route that the city would need to take, but cast doubt upon the potential commitment of his colleagues, both political and professional, especially in a time of financial crisis and cut-back.  He asked for advice on where he should start with a minimum of finance, a limited ration of time and a maximum of actions to be taken (if he had heard me right!).  Not an easy question, and not easily answered. I indicated that he could not fashion the future alone – that he would need help, that at the very least he could make a start by considering the many tools and learning materials available from the Eurolocal web-site (free of charge) as educational stimulators for key people. He should identify a champion, a dynamic person well-known in the city, who would set the ball rolling. Building learning cities is not necessarily a matter of money – more the changing of mindsets, procedures and aspirations, which is why it isn’t going to happen in one year, 5 years or probably even ten, well beyond the average Mayor's incumbency-span.

By this time people in the audience were bursting to make a contribution to the discussion. Most of them seemed to buy the learning city message, even enthused a little, but offered problems rather than solutions, why not rather than why and how. But there were some positive ideas for the Mayor to ponder. One of these was to activate Libereta, one of the few municipal adult education providers in a country where adult education is neither revered nor often supported, to develop an implementation plan for lifelong learning, including learning city matters.   I suggested that none of this would be easy, but that the mayor should ask the audience for positive, doable ideas, to be submitted within the next day to the Libereta volunteer. I left a large number of tools and materials to help in this task, and since the meeting,  I have refined the recommendations for New Learning Cities - attached (it is rather long I’m afraid but I find it difficult to change the habits of a lifetime of overlarding cakes). As a parting shot across the bows of the prevaricators I suggested that the university could be a force for action in learning city building and that it could obtain advice from colleagues around the world not least from PASCAL. At this, the proceedings were over, since the room had been booked for another meeting and I was to be whisked off to a typical Friulian restaurant. I can report that Friulians eat well – very well!

I have a feeling that that this will not be my last visit, hopefully with re-inforcements from PASCAL.  

Which brings me to my key questions.

1. How do we persuade busy municipal executives that a learning city can transform economic, social and environmental  prospects? In this case the Mayor bought the message. But Mayors and senior managers often don’t attend such presentations and the politicians who run the place - never. It seems to me that a marketing and publicity plan – not a phrase that goes down well in academic circles – is required. How should it be worded and implemented? How can it be brought to the attention of those who would profit from it?
2. Having successfully sold the concept how do we recommend that they proceed? Is there a common implementation plan that starts from nothing and leads gradually to enlightenment  and economic and social prosperity? Change management.
3. What role can PASCAL play in this process? Potentially a large one. Learning Cities2020 is a good start, but there is work to be done in marketing it, and in defining clearly, for city managers, the benefits accruing to a city, and in tailoring the solution to the very different problems experienced in very different cities.   

Let us suppose that the UNESCO Global Network takes place and attracts members from all parts of the world. Here is a role for PASCAL to offer lower cost and more appropriate solutions than can KPMG or the other consultancies that cities often turn to at great cost for less expertise and deep knowledge and understanding.  

Norman Longworth