d'Antonio

Simone

d'Antonio

Ad-Hoc Expert

Generic Skills

B.1. Understanding of integrated and sustainable urban development:

I have been working on the topics of sustainable and integrated urban development at national and European level since 2006, with the aim of informing and fostering the participation of Italian local officials and elected representatives around those topics. As journalist and communicator on urban topics, I dedicated most of my professional career to promote successful experiences of sustainable urban development and to foster the exchange of practices and approaches among Italian and European cities. Between 2006 and 2010 I worked in Brussels as communication and policy officer in charge of the Working group on Environment, Urban Mobility and Energy for the European foundation of the Italian Association of Municipalities and Cities (ANCI). In that framework I promoted the participation of Italian cities to EU co-funded programmes and thematic initiatives on urban sustainability, such as the Covenant of Mayors. I contributed to the promotion of URBACT programme and practices among Italian cities since 2008, and from 2012 I have been working as responsible for the communication activities of the National Dissemination Point of URBACT for Italy (Cittalia Research Foundation of ANCI). As Cittalia’s communication officer from 2010 to 2015 I developed communication strategies and storytelling approaches on sustainable urban development that I promoted at global level also in the occasion of the UN Habitat’s Urban Journalism Academies organized in view of the Habitat III Conference

B.2. Understanding of exchange and learning processes at transnational level:

Having always worked on international issues and lived in different countries, I am familiar with different working and exchange methods which contributed in a decisive way to my personal and professional background. When I worked in Brussels at the European Foundation of Cities, I fostered the exchange of knowledge and information between city officials and elected representatives from Italy and other European countries through the organization of trainings, seminars, study visits, networking meetings and workshops. For Cittalia, the research center of the Italian Association of Cities and Municipalities, I organized international activities of exchange and dissemination in the framework of many EU co-funded projects, such as GAIA, + RESPECT, BEAMS, SEISMIC and PRISM. Since 2004 I have been involved in many youth projects and exchanges at European, Mediterranean and global level on the topics of sustainability and ICT. As board member of the European network of young journalists European Youth Press I took part to many learning and exchange activities in Europe and in Asia, which helped me to keep in contact with a global network of young professionals active in the fields of ICT and sustainable development. Among these activities, I took part as speaker and trainer to the 4th China- Europe Symposium on Youth Work Development, organized by the All China Youth Foundation in the framework of the EU-China Policy Dialogue, held in March 2013 in Beijing, Changsha and Shanghai

B.3. Proficiency in English:

I speak fluent English and French and I have a basic knowledge of Spanish. I regularly write documents and articles in English, which have been also published on American media such as Citiscope and Citylab. I am capable of writing, speaking, delivering speeches and presentations in English. I actively participated to many international events, trainings and conferences in quality of speaker or moderator. Most of my international work is in English, including daily interactions with foreign partners, written reports and meetings

Thematic expertise:

Theme / Policy:

Local Governance

Summary Thematic expertise:

Along my professional career I supported the action of local authorities and urban practitioners through innovative methods of communication and dissemination of best practices of local governance in different fields. I focused on the role of urban communication as a key element to promote a urban sustainability and, at the same time, to foster the collaboration between citizens and local institutions. For that purpose I have been involved in several projects funded by EU programmes, such as FP7 and Life +, to apply innovative and multimedia communication strategies in the dissemination of contents and results. Reports collecting European best practices in various fields related to local governance (social innovation, social and environmental sustainability, etc.) contributed to promote the debate and raise the awareness of practitioners and decision makers around local partnerships and innovative forms of public-private partnerships. This method was applied also for the promotion of URBACT topics in Italy in the framework of the activities of the National Dissemination Point. This contribution of ideas and visions, together with a wide network of contacts in national and European local governments and media, supported the cities to actively involve local communities and innovators, improving governance on many urban fields and highlighting in this way the decisive role of collaboration among different stakeholders and profiles for the urban development.