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Pisapia told IRNA in an exclusive interview that in the Third Millennium the relationships among the big cities of the world are more and more crucial. 

'It is important, then, that two metropolises like Tehran and Milan closely cooperate by respecting their specific identities. As a result, institutions and citizens with very different cultures, traditions and religions will get to know each other much more deeply.' 

He said that keeping an open dialogue between cities is especially helpful during crisis between governments, crisis that are unfortunately present in today's world, constantly in search of new balances. 

I do believe in the 'city diplomacy.' And I am sure that Tehran and Milan, mindful of their thousands-year old history and culture, will make a long way together for the sake of their citizens and their countries.

Elaborating on aims of his upcoming visit to Tehran, he said that since some months the relationships between our countries are experiencing a wonderful boost. Milan – the financial and economic capital of Italy, icon of the Made in Italy and the Italian Way of Life in the whole world – presents to Tehran and Isfahan its model made of innovation and inclusion, cultural institutions renowned all over the world and municipal companies at the forefront of technology in the fields of urban development, sustainable mobility and management of urban services. 

The “Milan model” is a paradigm of efficiency and creativity – we presented it to the world during the six months of Expo 2015, a global event hailed by everybody as an unprecedented success. By the way, Iran's pavilion in Expo Milan 2015 was one of the most appreciated ones. I will illustrate the Milan System to Tehran Mayor and companies. I'll talk about what we are doing for sustainable development also with the Mayor and the Governor of Isfahan, as well as with all other institutional stakeholders I’ll meet during my stay in Iran.

IRNA: Milan has already become a Smart City under your good management, what is your suggestion for turning Teheran to become the next smart city of the world?

Pisapia: In the era of technological revolution, using innovation in the best way possible in order to make cities more and more livable and inclusive is absolutely crucial. Sustainable mobility, fight against waste, efficient waste management, food safety, sharing economy: they are all pieces of the big mosaic called “Smart City”. Designing and building a smart city means creating a city able to compete in the world of the future, attracting capitals on the best investments, but also attracting managers beyond the national borders, as well as young students, the so-called talents of the Knowledge Era.

In this regard, Milan invites Tehran and other Iranian cities to a fruitful exchange of best practices. Milan may share its know-how, but also wishes to learn from the others’ experience. For example, in the domain of food safety, we are networking with big international cities in the framework of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, the first pact among Mayors of the world in the field of sustainable urban food policies, recently signed by 120 big cities in Milan. 

'I hope that Iranian cities too will work with us to ensure healthy food to all our citizens. It is one of the greatest challenges in a planet where 70% of the population will live in large urban areas by 2050. Building Smart cities also means committing ourselves to solve this emergency.'

IRNA: Would you please explain Milan Municipality's Performance Management System?

The city government can greatly affect the quality of life of the inhabitants. Working on clear projects and selecting a valuable team in charge of specific tasks is fundamental to check the results step-by-step and eventually reach the final goal. Therefore, city leaders shall identify the priority projects for the city (for example mobility, waste collection, support of vulnerable groups, technologies for improving the civic services) and entrust the implementation of the processes and the control of the results to technical planners. In this way we’ll get more efficiency and a better resource allocation. 

In Milan, the system works. The proof is that our city is climbing the European ranks in many fields. Milan is now a more livable city not only for the Milanese people, but also for the increasing number of tourists coming from all over the world – and I wish that very soon many more tourists visiting Milan will come from Iran!

Source: IRNA