On the Relationship Between the Promotion of Environmental Sustainability and the Increase of Territorial Competitiveness: the Italian Case

Abstract

The consequences of climate change urges researchers to investigate the issues of environmental sustainability, and the definition of policies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) has become more urgent. In this context, urban areas play a significant role since here, economic, productive and social activities are concentrated and, therefore, the majority of the GHG emissions are produced. For these reasons, many cities worldwide are making big efforts to improve their level of environmental sustainability, but is this a worthy investment in terms of territorial competitiveness? In the era of globalization, indeed, countries, regions and cities cannot underestimate the competition against each other to attract firms, people and skills. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to identify the type of relationship between environmental sustainability and territorial competitiveness at the city level in order to verify whether or not it is possible to positively affect competitiveness by investing on green initiatives. The study measures the level of environmental sustainability and competitiveness of 103 Italian capital cities by constructing two composite indicators and it compares the two performances using a statistical approach, showing that being green also means being more competitive and this positive relationship increases proportionally with the population. In other words, strategies designed to make a city more environmentally sustainable positively affect its level of competitiveness, and this correlation is stronger for bigger cities.

Doing good does you good? The financial impact of individual CSR dimensions: A Malaysian context

“…This reflects that responsible development is more than just about having sufficient economic capital. Sustainable development is, therefore, a complex interrelationship between these three pillars and should be considered holistically such that a comprehensive approach can be developed (Cappa et al, 2020c;Papa et al, 2017;Rodrı ´guez-Serrano et al, 2017). The prevalence of these issues would no doubt present businesses of all kinds with challenges and opportunities.…”

“…The prevalence of these issues would no doubt present businesses of all kinds with challenges and opportunities. If not dealt with, these socio-environmental problems could give rise to harmful effects on the environment, the society, and in the process, impairing company's reputation and goodwill (Papa et al, 2017).…”

Visitor-Sensing: Involving the Crowd in Cultural Heritage Organizations

“…Visitors who actively participate to the management of cultural heritage organizations will also be, per se, more satisfied in that they contribute to a public good, and this increased satisfaction may encourage them to further visit the museum and to engage in positive word of mouth referrals. All this will translate into greater numbers of visitors, with positive impacts on both the economic sustainability of museums, in terms of increased revenues, and their social sustainability, in terms of a wider audience reached and increased literacy of citizens, which are two crucial aspect of the sustainability tripod to which organizations are increasingly paying attention [27,[79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87]. The above-mentioned issues are relevant issues for both cultural heritage organizations and policymakers [28,56], thereby benefiting simultaneously the two logics which characterize hybrid organizations [55,88].…”

Mitigating the Impact of Factories on the Landscape: An Assessment and Design Support Tool

“…Since industry is a vital part of development and wealth creation, but it accounts for over 35% of the global energy demand and 17% of global greenhouse gas emissions [1], it plays a major role in the path towards a more sustainable, healthy and smart living environment [2][3][4]. Over the last 20 years, the sustainability of urban and natural systems has taken on considerable importance [5], especially within the European strategy for a low-energy and low-emission future [6]. Hence, the recent EU Industrial Policy Strategy particularly stresses low-carbon and circular economy [7].…”

“…This means that badly designed and environmentally hazardous factories not only bother neighbors, but the companies themselves: beyond obvious costs and externalities, shoddy environmental practices affect social perception and company image [3]. In turn, company attractiveness influences territorial competitiveness, which emerges as a central theme for planners and decision makers [5].…”