Co-design, multi-stakeholder dialogue, the exchange of ideas, and a shared commitment to unlocking the potential of a territory that is the cradle of Italian and Mediterranean culture, rich in history and local excellence: these are the foundations of "Reggio Calabria Incontra", an innovative participatory governance project that promotes collaboration as a working method for defining a proactive and forward-looking vision for the territory.
Public, private and Third Sector organisations – both local and national – come together to share experiences, needs and resources to support concrete, effective, inclusive and innovative policies and initiatives. At the same time, the project creates the conditions and opportunities to expand and strengthen a network of relationships that fosters new opportunities for collaboration and co-design, capable of overcoming existing structural challenges and generating new development pathways.
The project is promoted by the Municipality of Reggio Calabria as part of the PON Metro Plus programme, with the methodological support of ALTIS Graduate School of Sustainable Management at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, and involves the participation of local and national institutions and organisations.
A shared journey towards a common goal
"Reggio Calabria Incontra" is a process of listening and dialogue that has taken place throughout 2025, involving institutions, businesses, Third Sector organisations and local communities to strengthen dialogue and collaboration among all stakeholders, in line with participatory governance models increasingly promoted at European level. The project has developed through a series of meetings, exchanges and the sharing of experiences from other territories.
The project was structured around four thematic areas, identified as strategic priorities for supporting the development of the territory:
- Businesses: dedicated to developing proposals to strengthen the attractiveness of the territory for investment by local and national companies, and to support the growth of SMEs capable of becoming part of the sustainable supply chains of medium-sized and large companies.
- Young people: focused on expanding employment opportunities for young people by fostering entrepreneurship, supporting the creation and growth of start-ups, and strengthening the territory's ability to attract, retain and develop talented professionals, encouraging them to remain in the area and contribute to its socio-economic development.
- Territory: aimed at identifying initiatives to strengthen Reggio Calabria's economic and entrepreneurial links with the Mediterranean region, reinterpreting the city's historical role as a bridge between Northern and Southern Europe, with the objective of creating new opportunities for growth and development
- Culture and Crafts: aimed at enhancing the area's artistic, cultural and natural heritage, in order to strengthen an ecosystem capable of retaining and promoting local resources while encouraging the further development and openness of Reggio Calabria's cultural sector.
The plenary meeting involving all stakeholders took place on 23 and 24 January 2026 at the Municipality of Reggio Calabria. It represented an initial opportunity to share a common working method and jointly develop a shared roadmap, with the ambition of consolidating this approach over time and replicating it in other contexts.
Call for participants
"Reggio Calabria Incontra" is an open collaboration platform that connects people, ideas and visions, where everyone can make a difference: businesses, institutions, Third Sector organisations, individual citizens and young people living in the area, as well as those who wish to contribute to Reggio Calabria from elsewhere.
We aim to expand the network of stakeholders interested in investing time, resources and expertise to enhance this historic territory, both by developing new innovative ideas and by sharing successful experiences from other contexts that, suitably adapted to the specific characteristics of the area, can be replicated.
Now is the time to get involved, to return, to contribute, and to build together a more inclusive, open and sustainable Reggio Calabria.
