Smart City Vs Smart Info. The Representation Of 'Smart Cities' In The Italian Press

The term ‘smart city’ has been introduced only recently in the Italian public debate . Socio-economic factors, that led to the adoption of this model, are due to greater public opinion /awareness of the issues related to the quality of life, environmental sustainability and energy saving. Within a wide-ranging crisis, that starts with issues such as pollution and the high cost of energy, and continues with the exploitation of land resources and climate change, the concept of "smart city" seems to be the key to a real socio-cultural change. In this sense, the research aims to explore the trends of use of this term within the two major Italian newspapers (Corriere.it and Repubblica.it), during the time from 1993 to 2013. Specifically, through research of historical archives available online, we try to understand the context and content associated with the use of this term. Objectives of the survey are: a. Situate the "smart cities" within a strategic and innovative framework; b . Identify semantic areas and a universal meaning adopted by both newspeapers; c . To understand the representation provided by both newspapers to the object of study in reference to the potential application of the model; d. Define the evolution of the use of the term "smart city" in its various forms.