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The L’Aquila earthquake of 6 April 2009 killed almost 300 people, and destroyed a large part of the built environment, as well as essential infrastructure networks. Besides the need to provide the population hit by the earthquake with immediate care and lodging, the disaster poses important challenges related to regional development.
University of L’Aquila
The earthquake damaged the University of L’Aquila, which was the city’s key comparative advantage. Before the disaster, L’Aquila was a relatively successful economy in which the university played a pivotal role in the city’s economy. The University, which grew in the recent years to attract nearly 30,000 students, provided jobs, rental income and demand for local good and services. It also contributed to the region’s economic development through a number of spillovers and had the potential to play a pivotal role in generating innovation and strengthening the link with the private sector. If the University ceased to be a key economic engine for the city, this would weaken localisation advantages and could lead to a considerable loss of core economic activities.
To avoid this dynamic, the reconstruction process needs to focus on the University, which could not only be rebuilt, but even strengthened to exploit as much as possible its capacity to act as a regional engine of growth. The University’s most immediate priority is re-attracting students for the 2009-2010 academic year, since the earthquake damaged infrastructure and severely reduced housing available to students. There is a real risk that many students, particularly those who come from outside L’Aquila province will not return in the fall.
A long-term strategy
The earthquake also destroyed key public and collective goods, affecting L’Aquila’s capacity to attract people and investment. In this context, re-launching the University is not enough, if it is not integrated into a broader longer-term strategy. A feasible vision is needed of what the L’Aquila region can be some years from now and what it can offer while the reconstruction takes place. Good school education, extensive IT infrastructure, affordable and safe housing, cultural events and entertainment, and targeted services to business are some of the needs that L’Aquila could meet to regain, and enhance, its urban attractiveness. As a key attraction for visitors, students, professional offices and second-home owners, as well as a source of pride for residents, the historical centre must again be in a position to draw users from outside of L’Aquila. Restoring the appearance and integrity and improving the safety of buildings will take time. A plan is needed to spark growth while the historical centre is being rebuilt.
Multiple levels of government are contributing to the redevelopment of L’Aquila. Short-term reconstruction decisions will impact on the options available for long-term redevelopment. Coordination and information-sharing among the multiple government agencies, as well as with the private sector, the University of L’Aquila, residents, students, and other members of civil society, is necessary for aligning short-term reconstruction plans with long-term redevelopment priorities.
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