Villa San Giovanni Transport Hub: A Public-Private Partnership Opportunity

Transport is the foundation of sustainable economic growth and development. When well balanced, transport greatly facilitates economic and social development, as it allows the free movement of people, goods and services. This paper estimates the potential opportunities for a Public-Private Partnership to deliver efficient transport infrastructure and services for a new transport hub in the city of Villa San Giovanni, which lies in an excellent geographic position and possesses several other strengths. The area is very attractive from an economic point of view because of its privileged position on one of the most scenic natural areas of Italy: the Strait of Messina. Planning would need to be strategic, and Public-private Partnerships are a special feature of governance. Urban transformation projects are very complex and have to be examined from several points of view (socio-cultural, environmental, infras-tructural, administrative, and economic-financial) to determine their sustainability, especially in Villa San Giovanni. This paper illustrates a synthetic evaluation method to assess the renewal potential of the railway station in Villa San Giovanni and the spatial and urban regeneration opportunities that would follow. In addition, it aims at building a conceptual framework to support decision makers in selecting the best Public-Private Partnership model for the development of a transport hub. This paper presents a working model of participatory management, based on PPP, which serves the purpose of supporting Public Administrations in managing the urban regeneration processes more efficiently.