Alpcity

WP5 Regione Lombardia

Experimentation of innovation actions for preserving the commercial services in disadvantage mountain areas

Case-project abstract

Aims: improving life quality in mountain areas; spreading good practices knowledge; Increasing the value of commerce social dimension: maintaining adequate commercial services levels in Region mountain and disadvantage areas.

Contents: starting up an experimentation with excellent features to support, acting in a subsiding terms, the activation of experimental enterprises in many parts of regional territory.

Reasons for the choice of this case-project

Putting into effect to one of the priority objects of the regional VII legislature commerce planning: Increasing the value of social importance of trade.

Adopted methodology

• Identifying Municipalities for the study based on criticalities in commercial service equipments, the no adequate value of tourist place vocation and increasing the value of handicraft activities already existing;
• Involvement of Local Bodies and Trade associations into studies of cases and starting up of experimentations;
• Analysis (i.e. customer habits enquiry, about supply and demand, about existing public services - post services, about the availability of rooms for multi-service shops or for pedlaring by local administrations, about the existing of first aid product selling by public shops and store);
• Possible presentation and discussion of European projects already done and regarding the economic problems of little mountain municipalities (i.e. Commerce 2000 - best European practice regarding local shops in disadvantaged rural areas);
• Setting up of specific instruments such as conventions, project feasibility.

Expected benefits (local and regional levels)

Realization of services for improving life conditions about local place.

Starting up further participation on territory in consequence of consulting actions with local Bodies and promotion of the experimental case.

Are follow-up activities foreseen ?

(Please describe)

Activation of financing call as l.r.13/2000 for realization of multi-services shops and other experimental ways of neighbour commerce.

Expected value added (other than financial) from the participation to an INTERREG project

(Please mention concrete examples and not general statements such as: exchange of experiences)

• Integrated projects approaching.
• Identifying similar cases and comparison the methodologies and general rules.
• Setting up of good practices.

Expected trans-national exchange benefit gained from the case

Cases should not tackle exclusively local problems. Where in the whole Alpine Space Programme area can similar problems be found? And where can good practice be found?)

• Net realizations.
• Knowledge development and good practices spreading.

Output indicators

• N. meetings with Associations and Local Bodies
• N. divulged publications
• N. subject contacted in commercial activity

Impact indicators

• N. services neighbour requests by customers.
• N. of Site accesses.
• N. of experimental projects in mountain areas that will be activated owing to AlpCity project ending.
• N. of experimental projects about multi-services shops that will be presented at call measure 1.11 - Docup Ob.2 of Regione Lombardia in 2004/5.

Name of the town/s concerned

(A map may be attached)

One municipality with a population of less than 2.000 inhabitants regarding the Val Camonica or Alto Garda Bresciano Community.

Demographic, social and economic situation of the town/s concerned and specifically identified problems

Municipalities:

• have resident population with less than 5.000 inhabitants
• are not involved in substantial tourist floods
• Have a more than 20% of elderly population (age > 65 Y.O.)
• Are concerned by c trade desertification

have few services equipments

Role of the mountain resource within the local development chances of the town/s concerned (positive or negative)

Positive Role:

• Environmental and historical value presence
• connection to production system and local handicraft
• reduced dimension of local community and possibility of association forms in services distribution

Negative role:

• lack of infrastructures and base services equipment

abandon of site by young people

Expected contribution of the foreseen actions towards the development of the town/s concerned

Information diffusion on commercial social role and about the experimentation importance of adequate models to local context.

setting up a specimen action as reference for others

experimentations in regional ambit.

Who is the responsible for the concrete development of the project?

The Trade Unit with consultants support.

How are activities sub-contracted?

Activities regarding the study of case will be committed to an expert. task proceeding is by curricula comparison taken from a list of regional consultants.

Statements activities and coordination support has given to a regional instrumental body. The task is committed by letter.

Beside the partner, which administrative authorities are involved in the project? How?

Municipalities and Mountain Communities of the province are involved in a first step identification ambit of experimentation

caused to identifying the municipality in which realize the experimentation, the municipality body contributes to verify the rooms (for multi-services shops or for strolling commentary positions) and actuator subjects (public concerns managers, retailers).

Who are the main local/regional project actors?

Municipalities, public concerns managers, retailers, public services supplier (i.e. postal offices) Commerce associations, Consumer Associations.

Are there important actors who are not integrated or are opposing the project?

The case acts one of the target included in the triennial commercial development programme 2003/05, the principle document in VII legislature commerce policy.

Others interventions will be put in act trough:

• Integrated Commerce Intervention Plan approved with DGR 14 November 2003 n. VII/15056 which provide the proposals by Municipalities to obtain a Regional Financing.
• Measure 1.11 in the Programming "DOCUP Ob. 2" Document in course of approval

The case is isolated or integrated within a broader frame/ programme of activities? How? How are these activities being financed?

Timetable for the project development (July 2004 - May 2006)

July 2004 - September 2004: consultations and chose of the ambit of experimentation

October -December 2004: local diffusion of good practices already tested for setting up a shared local model of experimentation

September - December: setting up of the convention model and scheme

December - May: diffusion of model

Total cost (Euros)

About 50.000,00 €

Are experts (non SSC) involved into the case and research activities undertaken for the case? What is their role?

Realizing the study of case through these action:

• Analysis for identifying Municipality/ies object of experimentation
• Realization of an inquiry into demand, into consumers habits and into offer
• Setting up of local strategies with synergistic actions in order to revitalize the commerce context (strolling, small distribution, great distribution), with a particular attention to the logistic aspect, to the commerce social service aspect (weak target of population) and to the exploitation of local productions
• Evaluation of common rooms availability to be located or common spaces to be shared with other services already existing at local level to realize multi-services shops.
• Setting up of Convention between Municipalities and services subject supplier
• Realization of a website supporting the experimentation