Cesena is an Italian small-size city hosting around 100 000 inhabitants in a municipal area of 250 sq. km. The city is located in the north-east of Italy within the Emilia-Romagna region and plays the leading role of the Savio Valley Municipalities Union - including 5 further smaller municipalities. The city is enclosed between the hilly area of Appennini and the Adriatic coast and it is characterized by the presence of the Savio River that crosses the city also in its urban area, acting as ecological connector for the different green areas.
In Cesena, the valorisation of the urban environment is considered as a cultural, social and environmental investment. Systemic integration is the key for a successful transition: the enhancement of green and blue infrastructures, the application of innovative energy solutions, as well as the promotion of an active and multi-modal mobility system are pursued through the construction of multi-level governance structure.
Cesena Municipality is initiating a climate transition by adopting a systemic approach focused on neighborhood-level interventions. The strategy addresses four key urban dimensions: renovation of the built environment, enhancing outdoor spaces for accessibility and resilience, promoting an active and multi-modal mobility system, and engaging the community to raise awareness on energy and environmental issues along with their co-benefits.
Cesena is a demo city in the Horizon Europe WeGenerate project, collaborating with three fellow ICLEI Member cities Cascais, Bucharest, and Tampere. With the support of Bologna University, this project aims to develop and test innovative methodologies for neighborhood-scale regeneration, enhancing local well-being and encouraging low-impact lifestyles
The focus area for Cesena's efforts is the Vigne-Railway Station zone, which is intended to evolve into a new City Mobility Hub, improving access to the city and fostering development in the adjacent Vigne district into a livable, green residential area. This area previously benefited from the KAIRÓS project, which prioritized cultural heritage to inspire urban renewal, culminating in an Integrated Action Plan that included various community-driven initiatives.
Furthermore, Cesena is enhancing the Savio River area and the Interreg-funded RIWET project is aiming at establishing a public-private governance structure. This initiative seeks to strengthen community connections to the river, promoting it as a vital natural resource and ecological asset for the entire region, ultimately contributing to the city's broader climate transition goals.
Cesena Municipality has joined various international networks and initiatives aimed at fostering urban innovation and build capacity towards climate transition:
Undertaking actions related to a circular economy and contributing to defining a sustainable vision of the urban future and of the entire community has allowed Cesena to align itself with other European cities, the same ones we are constructively confronting in European projects, such as WeGenerate. This is the right way to launch innovative and concrete actions on different fronts, from mobility to territorial security, but also to build a sustainability culture by actively involving citizens of all ages.
On the strength of the projects developed to date, and committed to the definition of policies aimed at countering the negative effects of extreme climatic events, the Municipal Administration continues in this direction by deepening the theme of urban transition in a climate-neutral key through the collaboration with the University of ‘Roma Tre’ on the applicability and replicability of the concept of Positive Energy Districts (PEDs), on the theme of the ‘15 minutes city’, and on widespread greening interventions and the evaluation of eco-systemic services.
Enzo Lattuca, Mayor of Cesena
Cesena joined the ICLEI network in May 2022.
The historic city of Cesena hosted the third WeGenerate Consortium Meeting in October 2024, a three-day event focused on sustainable urban transformations. Local officials, project partners, and city representatives gathered to exchange ideas, insights, and strategies for building sustainable, inclusive, and more resilient cities.
