It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you to the web site of the Knowledge Society Forum – Telecities Conference, that will be hosted in the beautiful scenario of Palazzo Re Enzo, on  28th and 29th June.
The steady growth of the opportunities offered by the ICT sector represents for Public Administrations a clear motivation for interest. ICT innovations are a tool for European Cities to overcome the boundaries of modern urban aggregations, to identify new service models, to build relations between the Public Administration and citizens and enhance the sense of community.
Communication and participation need direct and bilateral relations, information, debate, multi-directional channels and a constant interaction. In this framework, communication through media is still highly relevant, but it needs to be supported by the ability to communicate and interact directly with citizens. This direct communication can greatly benefit from the new opportunities offered by technology.
More than this: in order to make the communication between citizens and Public Administrations a real and concrete possibility, information needs to be acknowledged as a “legitimate right”. Information itself needs thus to be considered as a fundamental service to citizens, instead of being seen as an optional addition to the traditional set of services.
For this reason the City of Bologna is fully engaged in favouring the creation of an integrated, multi-channel system of information and communication, with equal opportunities of access and usability for all. Such system represents today a fundamental tool for democracy, economic development, wellbeing, and the cultural growth of citizens.
The Bologna Conference will examine the complex interaction among ICT, social inclusion and security in Cities, and we hope that it will offer interesting and useful ideas to all participants.

    Sergio Cofferati           
    Mayor of Bologna