Digital regeneration of villages and urban areas in Europe: the Italian perspective

The issue of regeneration of villages and rural areas became central after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The issue had also arisen in previous years, for various reasons, particularly depopulation dynamics. Italy is characterized by about 17% of its population living in rural areas, equal to 10 million people (compared to 51 million Italians living in urban areas). This situation calls for the implementation of specific “digital strategies” to enhance the productive capacity of these areas. One of the main strategies is that linked to brands, both of European origin and of national origin (for example geographical identification marks for products, such as DOC, DOP, “Made in Italy”, but also various types of certification such as "Borgo sostenibile", "Borgo Autentico Certificato", etc.), and to international standards (like ISO 9001). They are: i) forms of legal design, because they convey legal contents, and increasingly they assume this function from the point of view of communication with the user/consumer; ii) fundamental elements of the economy of reputation (brand reputation) that characterizes the technological transformation of communities and territories. The main legal profiles connected to this type of tools in the Italian experience will be analyzed, and it will be assessed whether a “brand reputation and legal design strategy” could also be adopted in other territories and regions, with a European coordination of local identities enhancement.