Neighbourhood Networks Service

Good Practice

Efficiency, Sustainability

Decentralizing services.

Bergamo City Council

Italy

Local policy

POLICY OBJECTIVE

Channel the requests and needs of citizens, volunteer groups, retailers, entities, and various groups.
Create a map of neighbourhood stores (groceries, pharmacies) offering home delivery service through Bergamohelps.
Reduce commuting costs.
Increase performance expectations.

CONTEXT

First launched in 2015 in response to the needs of certain citizens (workers, disabled, etc), the policy was expanded to all municipal services during the pandemic in 2020.

POLICY DESCRIPTION

The Bergamo Neighbourhood Networks Service comprises the evolving decentralized municipal services across city districts, as well as citizens and representatives of associations, bodies, committees, and services with the good of the neighbourhood at heart who work to achieve it.

Associated individuals and organizations are guided by values of participation and sharing and work to achieve common goals together. Each Neighbourhood Network actively promotes knowledge of the social context and participation to transform and improve neighbourhoods by adapting them to the needs of inhabitants.

KEY ASPECTS

The “Neighbourhood Shops, Networks, and Citizen Relations” project has invested neighbourhood retailers with a crucial social role. These are connected with volunteers and neighbourhood workers to monitor fragile situations (e.g., the elderly) by establishing and strengthening “primary control” networks.

RESULTS

In 2020, 15,445 social service interventions meant home-delivered medicines and groceries and ready-to-eat meals for 523 people in need. From April to June 2020, 401 local shops helped to distribute 427,000 free surgical masks to citizens.

Policy's Website

Vera

Pedrana

European Projects Department

europeanprojects@comune.bergamo.it

Good Practice