Gender gap reduction in urban projects in Bologna

Within the scope of the EIB-funded project Gender Gap Reduction in Urban Projects in Bologna (Italy), the Consortium formed by OCA Global CTA (leader), Istituto per la Ricerca Sociale (IRS) and Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini Srl SB (FGB Srl SB) will support the Municipality of Bologna in improving their understanding of the gender gap in existing services and public infrastructure, as well as to develop more gender sensitive projects.

This 10-month initiative aims to support the Municipality of Bologna in: the improvement of existing monitoring and reporting systems to include gender related impacts from urban services and infrastructure projects; use of gender-data to develop gender-sensitive solutions for specific projects; the creation of key messages for dissemination to ensure replicability in similar type of projects in other EU geographies.

The sectors addressed by this project will also contribute significantly to the city’s green transition, so the project will contribute to make the city’s green transition more inclusive. Indeed, the city of Bologna has understood that the climate crisis needs to be addressed within cities and has therefore joined the climate pledge of many metropolises, aiming to become carbon neutral by 2040.

This Assignment is meant to make Bologna’s green transition more inclusive, while also developing urban projects that are in line with the objectives of the European gender equality strategy 2020-2025: ending gender-based violence; challenging gender stereotypes; closing gender gaps in the labour market; achieving equal participation across different sectors of the economy; addressing the gender pay and pension gaps; closing the gender care gap and achieving gender balance in decision-making and in politics.

This project also complements other interventions performed by the EIB in Bologna, specifically those under the financing of the most recent Bologna Climate Action and Urban Regeneration Framework Loan (FL), which was signed in 2021 and focuses on five key sectors, some of which will be addressed during the current assignment: public buildings, sustainable urban mobility, energy efficiency upgrades in public lighting, urban road infrastructure, social and affordable housing. Therefore, the current Project will review the on-going and planned multi-sector schemes under this FL in order to identify possible synergies and avoid duplication of efforts and resources.

The project was launched at the beginning of July 2022 with the organization of an on-site kick-off meeting with the representatives of the Municipality of Bologna and the European Investment Bank.

FGB Srl SB provides a communication specialist, responsible to coordinate the design of the communication strategy and the materials, as well as the organization of workshops and the visual engagement of stakeholders, working with the FL and gender and business intelligence specialists.

FGB Srl SB also supports the consortium in monitoring the project in managerial, quality, administrative and financial issues.