PIACENZA SMART CITY STATIONS

A green services network for an assisted cycling mobility and an integrated monitoring system of commuting fluxes
Piacenza Smart City Stations is a pilot project that intends to define a sustainable model of diffuse infrastructure for the provision of services supporting the smart and green individual cycling on medium size Italian cities. From recent research "EfficienCITIES, City-model for the development of the country" developed by Siemens and Cittalia, emerges that the city of Piacenza is classified within the cluster of cities' environment. In the specific case of Piacenza it has been calculated that the synthetic indicator of efficiency in the management of the urban environment is very high, with a coefficient of 96.8% which is the second city in Italy on 54 cases. About the sustainable mobility and renewable energy, the percentage drops in both cases but maintaining a good position (41.1% mobility and 36.3% energy) at 23rd place on 54 cities. The comparison of the investments under the three-year plan of public works shows an higher values of about 20% in comparison to the national average in the field of mobility infrastructure, so the city of Piacenza proves to be a right scenario on which to plan and implement new systems and services for sustainable mobility. The general objective of the project Piacenza Smart City Stations is to promote and analyze the use of a system of cycling over the last mile through assisted bicycles powered by energy from renewable sources on Piacenza area. For this purpose, it will be implemented a bike-sharing system integrated to support services to the electric mobility that will connect the commuting poles attractors and involving public authorities and private economic operators located in this area. The bike sharing system will be guaranteed by the implementation of the Smart City Stations (SCS), energy self bike stations able to offer to city users additional services such as charging car / electric scooters and public wi-fi. Each SCS will in fact be a productive element of renewable energy through the installation of photovoltaic system. It will be assured any possible link to test project with an approach related to smart grid that could be implemented on the territory, as the possible outcomes of the project TOP4E2developed by Selta SpA with other technological and institutional partners including the City of Piacenza. Each electrical bike will be equipped with a monitoring and georeferencing system. Through the analysis of data streams and modality of collected users it will be possible to assess the consistency of the project and define the extension of the SCS system and achieve recommendations for improvement of local cycling infrastructure. This hypothesis would guarantee the economical sustainability of the service during the 2016-2018 period, after the end of MIUR financing. It won't guarantee the possibility of adding new SCS to the system but it will contemplate the replicability of the system to other local context as other medium size Italian cities. Indirect result of the proposal will be the development of a new entrepreneurial and institutional provision of services related to territorial mobility management in accordance with European objectives and creating jobs in Piacenza area. The management of the service will be programmed through a participatory planning process involving economic operators and public actors in order to identify the management model for the testing and the post-project phases.