Subscribe to our joint NEWSLETTER for
EUTROPIAN &
COOPERATIVE CITY MAGAZINE
The FOOTPRINTS project, funded by European Urban Initiative, and led by the Municipality of Ravenna, promotes sustainable tourism through collaborative governance with local communities and service providers. It fosters responsible choices via gamification, nudging, and community engagement, aiming to create inclusive, circular tourism experiences while improving Ravenna’s mobility system.
Key partners including Eutropian, Art-Er, Ravenna Incoming, Vista, Azimut, and Atlantide, contribute expertise in urban policies, innovation, mobility, and green tourism. Together, they enhance tourism sustainability by implementing low-carbon, circular economy, and community-based practices to reduce environmental impacts and foster positive social footprints.
By engaging local stakeholders and leveraging digital platforms, the project seeks to minimize ecological footprints, improve social well-being, and encourage tourists to act as “temporary citizens.”
In the past decade, tourism has been recognised as increasingly problematic, posing significant challenges including environmental degradation, cultural commodification, economic instability, and social displacement. Over-tourism depletes resources, pollutes ecosystems, and raises property prices, often displacing residents and creating seasonal job insecurity.
Sustainable tourism requires educating travellers, supporting local businesses, and developing eco-friendly infrastructure like public transport and green accommodations. Conservation efforts and community involvement can protect local cultures and habitats, while policies managing tourist numbers and promoting certifications, paired with technology, can foster more responsible tourism.
FOOTPRINTS adopts an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to local development led by the Municipality of Ravenna. This strategy encompasses various policy sectors, including the Urban Plan for Sustainable Mobility and the Tourism Strategic Plan. The project focuses on five key pillars: behavioural change and the “temporary citizen” approach, an enhanced tourist experience, innovation in tourism services, soft mobility, and co-governance.
FOOTPRINTS emphasises stakeholder involvement and collaborative governance, aiming to enhance community and end-user engagement in tourism. By involving associations of vulnerable groups and citizens’ committees in co-design processes, the project fosters greater ownership and participation in policymaking.
Eutropian supports the FOOTPRINTS project in the following ways:
