City: Bologna, Italy

Reporting to: Head of Collaborative Housing and Rent Support

The Challenge

As a key economic and strategic hub for Italy and Europe—Bologna is booming. The city is home to a major European university, prestigious research and innovation centers, excellent supply chains, and renowned physical beauty. In 2022, Bologna’s workforce increased by 5.8%—matching pre-pandemic levels of growth. Meanwhile, companies across all sectors are expanding, and Bologna now ranks third in added value per capita (the wealth created per inhabitant) across Italy. It also ranks first for attracting foreign capital for industrial investment. Building on its strong reputation, the city is working to attract and retain national and international young talent—recent graduates, PhDs, and professionals—to fuel entrepreneurial innovation and cultivate a skilled workforce that will support the region’s development. With this growth, however, the city anticipates a shortage of affordable housing.

To help young professionals and their families settle and thrive in the city, the Municipality of Bologna recognizes the need for a program that supports the housing and social integration of new workers as part of the overall Bologna Housing Plan. The Housing Plan includes five strategies: developing three major centers for a new concept of living (for example, revitalizing the Bertalia-Lazzaretto area as a new ecodistrict); promoting new forms of collaborative living; regenerating public housing; introducing new governance for social housing; and attracting and retaining national and international talent. So far, achievements of the Housing Plan include creating new public housing, e.g., building 12,000 homes to support Bologna’s most vulnerable populations. The Municipality has also offered extensive rent subsidies for those who struggle to pay for market-rate rentals and has created an eviction protocol for workers who have lost their jobs due to staff cuts, providing public funds to landlords to cover tenants’ unpaid rent.

The fellow will help implement the fifth strategy of Bologna’s Housing Plan, “attracting and retaining national and international talent,” by assisting Bologna’s Housing Agency with planning for the needs of businesses and workers. Key questions we expect the fellow to answer:

• What are the key demographic characteristics and requirements of new workers?
• What programs or models of collaborations between the city and local business can help us achieve the aims of our Housing Plan?
• What data do we need to collect now (and in the future) to better understand housing demand, and implications for neighborhoods and public transport?

What You’ll Do

The fellow will be part of our Unit for Collaborative Housing and Rent Support. They will work closely with Bologna’s new Social Rental Agency which will help landlords meet the demand for affordable housing by offering benefits and economic guarantees. The Summer Fellow will be responsible for identifying the types of incoming workers and their housing needs, including the estimated size of housing required. They will also analyze which areas of Bologna are most attractive based on their proximity to common workplaces and available public transportation. This information will be gathered through interviews, direct contacts, and data requests from key stakeholders, including major companies in Bologna (e.g., Ducati, Lamborghini, Granarolo, Maccaferri, Tetrapak, etc.) workers’ unions, entrepreneurs’ associations, and other public and private entities involved in employment and housing issues.

Key deliverables include:

1. A socio-economic analysis: Create a general overview of public initiatives that support housing for workers in Bologna and compile a list of major companies and stakeholders involved in employment and housing issues.
2. Demand analysis: Through interviews with major companies and other stakeholders, gather insights into future housing demands and identify the most attractive areas of Bologna for incoming workers, considering factors like infrastructure and public transportation.
3. Data analysis and report preparation:
   • Profile future workers by analyzing potential housing needs and workforce expectations. Explore possible collaboration channels between public administration and private companies to address housing for workers.
   • Examine any data collected to assess the feasibility of agreements between the Municipality and companies that require employee housing.

The fellow will be expected to present their findings to key staff inside city hall and develop summary reports to be used with stakeholders.

What You’ll Bring

• Data analysis
• Qualitative interviewing and analysis
• Mapping (GIS)
• Policy analysis
• Language fluency in Italian (required)

Apply here.

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