In the Ballarò neighbourhood, what is currently an illegal dumping ground will become a multipurpose space for concerts, theatre performances and festivals. In the Danisinni neighbourhood, a long-forgotten enclave just 500 metres from the Palazzo dei Normanni, a non-profit social kitchen will be built for tourists and those most in need alike. These are the two winning projects from an initiative launched by the Municipality of Palermo together with Airbnb, the online platform for booking rooms and accommodation for tourists, which were presented last Wednesday by mayor Leoluca Orlando and Airbnb Italy's chief executive officer Matteo Frigerio.

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But these are just the tip of the iceberg of a journey that Palermo has embarked upon in recent years, one that is leading the Sicilian capital — in mayor Orlando's own words — "to become a city that is exciting and safe, as well as not expensive": stimulating, safe, affordable. And evidently welcoming and multicultural, given that the proposal for a partnership with Palermo came from Airbnb California itself.

Mayor Orlando, does this public-private partnership confirm that Palermo is actively working to establish itself as a vibrant, welcoming city in every sense?
It is a development that must be seen within the broader vision of a welcoming city, one that — thanks to its very nature — has greatly developed its tourism activities, not only those connected to migrants. In recent years Palermo has become one of the most important tourist cities in Italy: before, only journalists used to come here, to report on the Mafia…

How did this small renaissance begin for a city with a great history but also longstanding problems?
In recent years we have tackled the question of accessibility: physical accessibility, but also that relating to dietary requirements, developing kosher cuisine and provision for people with coeliac disease. We carried out a municipality-wide survey to make access easier for everyone; we are the only Italian city with a car-sharing service for people with disabilities and, from Florence southwards, the only one with an electric car-sharing service run by a wholly publicly-owned company. We have also expanded free Wi-Fi zones and established 25 pedestrian areas: today I believe you can feel a welcoming atmosphere towards tourists, thanks to improvements in the liveability of the whole city — and therefore for residents too. I remain convinced that, after schools, the second most important cultural institution there is is tourism, because it forces everyone to get to know others and to adapt to different customs and habits.

Work that has attracted the interest of one of the world's leading players in low-impact tourism…
Last year, out of the blue, the founder and president of Airbnb called me from California saying he wanted to meet me, because Palermo had become the city that had recorded, in a single year, the largest percentage increase in tourism: 54 per cent. We signed a memorandum of understanding that delegates to Airbnb the collection of the tourist tax: that alone brought about a drastic reduction in tax evasion, because the withholding is made at source and because those who rent out have every interest in remaining tied to a large network like Airbnb. But then Airbnb chose to pay the city 10 per cent of the tax (which it was entitled to under municipal regulations, ed.) — and in a very significant way, because it was participatory, bottom-up: the municipality identified certain neighbourhoods, we organised assemblies in which residents presented urban regeneration projects, the assembly voted on three projects from the total, and finally these were put to a public vote by residents. It is an extraordinary opportunity for cultural change.

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The winning projects will take place in two neighbourhoods that are very significant for the city, albeit in different ways: is that a coincidence?
In Ballarò and Danisinni, the municipal administration already had an ongoing process involving forms of democratic participation in neighbourhood life through public assemblies. In Ballarò, which is somewhat better known, a great awakening of democratic consciousness in the neighbourhood is under way; Danisinni, on the other hand, was an off-limits area until recently — a kind of enclave never reached by public transport or urban regeneration projects, even though it lies not on the outskirts but just 500 metres from the Palazzo dei Normanni. Students from the Accademia delle Belle Arti decorated the exteriors of the buildings, urban vegetable gardens were created and a big top for a circus without animals was set up. On top of this already mature fabric we layered this public-private initiative; the projects will each receive 20,000 euros for their realisation. It is a pilot project for bottom-up regeneration; in the following years we will continue with other projects in other neighbourhoods, alongside complementary initiatives.

In Ballarò, a space for socialising and culture will be created where there is currently an illegal dumping ground: what is the situation with waste management in Palermo, compared with the difficulties experienced in recent years by other large cities in central and southern Italy?
In Palermo there are still abandoned areas that have effectively become places where residents dump old things — wardrobes, fridges… and this despite the fact that we offer a free home-collection service for bulky waste. Let us say we are the only Italian city without private contracts in the waste and water sectors, which at least keeps us out of the crime pages for Mafia-related stories. We are satisfied with the work we are doing, even though there are still problems to overcome.

The social kitchen project, meanwhile, confirms a particular commitment to inclusion — of citizens in difficulty, but also of those seeking a welcome, as your opposition to the security decree demonstrates?
The social kitchen will primarily allow women from the Danisinni neighbourhood to test themselves freely and to create shared culinary experiences, for tourists and residents alike. Then, speaking of residents, I have already registered four foreign nationals with humanitarian residence permits in the civil registry: some say this is in violation of the law (the security decree no longer provides for this possibility for migrants, ed.), I prefer to say it is in compliance with the Constitution. And a further 200 registrations are on the waiting list: I will sign them myself, so as not to put the staff in a difficult position.

No concerns about residents' safety, then?
Istat recently stated that Palermo, as it stands, has become the safest city among Italy's largest. And the Michelin guide awarded us the maximum rating — 3 stars — for tourism. Foreign investors have taken notice too: we had four large hotels that had been unsold for fifteen years; within a few months all the negotiations were successfully concluded, including with buyers from abroad. We are an exciting and safe city, stimulating and secure, and also affordable: that may be a symptom of an economic crisis that is still present, but there is enormous room to grow.

Opening photo: the Palazzo dei Normanni in Palermo © Jerome Bon/Wikimedia Commons