Italian expert: WUF13 is a place where new partnerships and practical solutions can emerge
Baku, May 20, AZERTAC
AZERTAC presents interview with Antonio Campagnoli, President of the International Real Estate Federation of Italy.
- How do you assess the importance of WUF13 in shaping the future of sustainable cities?
- WUF13 is extremely important because it comes at a moment when housing and urban development have become central global challenges, not only for rapidly urbanizing countries, but also for mature economies.
What makes WUF13 particularly valuable is its ability to bring together governments, international institutions, private sector leaders, financial actors and civil society within the same platform. Sustainable cities cannot be shaped by one actor alone.
I believe the future of sustainable urban development will depend increasingly on long-term cooperation, integrated planning and the capacity to connect public vision with private execution and community participation. In this sense, WUF13 is not only a forum for discussion, but also a place where new partnerships and practical solutions can emerge.
- What role do you think Azerbaijan can play in the global agenda of sustainable urban development?
- Azerbaijan can play a very interesting role as a bridge between regions, experiences and development models.
Hosting WUF13 already demonstrates a strong willingness to position the country within the global dialogue on sustainable urban development. At the same time, Azerbaijan is experiencing important urban and infrastructure transformations, which allows it to contribute not only institutionally, but also through practical experience.
I also believe Azerbaijan can become an important platform for dialogue between Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and other rapidly developing regions, especially on themes such as resilience, infrastructure, smart development and post-conflict regeneration.
- Azerbaijan is actively implementing “smart city” and “smart village” projects today. How valuable could this experience be for the world?
- I think the experience of Azerbaijan with smart cities and smart villages can be very valuable internationally, especially if technology is combined with human-centered urban development.
Today, being “smart” should not only mean digitalization or advanced infrastructure. It should also mean improving quality of life, efficiency, sustainability and social inclusion.
The smart village concept is particularly interesting because globally we are seeing growing attention not only toward major metropolitan areas, but also toward balanced territorial development, smaller communities and rural resilience.
If these projects succeed in integrating technology, sustainability, public services, energy efficiency and community participation, they could become important international case studies for other countries facing similar urban and territorial challenges.
Author – Tamilla Mammadova
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