Internationally renowned urban planner and architect Dikshu Kukreja travelled across the globe to shed light on tangible, and intangible, linkages between cities and nations by interacting with leaders from various countries for a special series on TV channel WION. In the third of a series, CW presents excerpts from his conversation with Ministers Federico Amati and Fabio Righi of San Marino as they compare and contrast this ancient Republic with the new-age Auroville, as well as his interaction with Mayor of Mexico City Claudia Pardo as they discuss how the city and Mumbai share a similar history and grapple with the same challenges despite being on two ends of the globe.
Minister Federico Amati (FA):Thank you. It is an honour to speak about our history.
DK: It's very interesting. Today, San Marino is about 60 sq km and Auroville is 20 sq km. San Marino has a population of 34,000 while Auroville has been designed for a population of 50,000. Napoleon Bonaparte offered to extend the territory eastwards to the Adriatic Sea but San Marino always believed in its own territorial integrity. Tell us a little more.
FA: Napoleon certainly offered to add a portion of territory to the Republic but fortunately that was not accepted by the citizens at the time because it would have reached the sea. Any territory overlooking the sea is much more attractive for potential conquerors.
DK: Auroville also has this aspect of being a self-contained township. In a way, it’s also a microcosm of the world where people from 60 nations across the world came in to establish it. In the case of San Marino, while it is a small republic, it has also been attracting tourists from all over the world.
FA: Yes, tourism is worth around 15-20 per cent of GDP. Our main draw is the medieval landscape. This is a welcoming country with welcoming citizens, excellent food and wine.
DK: Auroville has not been designed with the sole purpose of tourism. In fact, it is the other way around. It is meant to be a township, bringing people together to live a better life. Just like the topography of San Marino, where development did not necessarily take place in the most fertile part, Auroville was absolutely barrenwhen it was established. But there was a mission to create a development centred on peace with residential, industrial and cultural zones and cutting-edge technology that would be sustainable. For example, the World Earth Institute in Auroville has been sharing research and technology with over 38 countries on urban planning and today’s challenges. Now, Minister Righi, being one of the smallest nations in the world, you have the 10th highest GDP in the world. How does that work?
Minister Fabio Righi (FR): Thanks to our autonomy and ability to dialogue with the world, San Marino now has a position in the main international organisations. We have our own government administration, health system and industrial districts. While Italy is our main partner for geographical reasons, we have ambitions to become more international thanks to technology in the moment of great green digital and sustainable transformation in the world.
DK: Climate change is now a very important factor and economies are moving toward more environment-friendly technologies, materialsand solutions. How do you see this small nation meeting these challenges?
FR: The challenges are the same as a big country – making our economy sustainable and totally digital. San Marino can present itself internationally as a technological hub where entrepreneurs and companies, thanks to the size of the territory, can find a friendly context to develop innovative solutions in a small, safe, protected context. Our country cannot compete in terms of size but can distinguish itself for its excellence and capacity to develop thanks to new technologies.
In conclusion, DikshuKukreja says, “Both San Marino, dating back to the 3rdcentury, and Auroville established only 50 years ago, stand out as distinct urban entities. Both have unique festivals, local traditions and local governance patterns that set them apart from any other urban establishment in the world. While Auroville, an autonomous social urban experiment, researches and develops methods of sustainability, improving crop production, energy synthesis, and more, San Marino is taking the next step forward to be the technological hub of tomorrow, inviting entrepreneurs to develop innovative solutions across all spheres of life. Despite the difference in circumstances that gave rise to their existence, both have arrived at similar worldviews and values.”
Mayor Claudia Pardo (CP): We have a very long history; it'salmost 3,000 years. Mexico City’s richness is based on diversity. In Mexico, there are 68 languages; 52 of them are present in Mexico City because we are a city with migrations from many parts of the country.