ABSTRACT
Bologna is the capital of the region Emilia Romagna. This region, situated in the northern part of the Italian peninsula, is in economic terms one of the most successful regions in Europe. The economic and societal development of the Bolognese area has expanded such as to cause administrative problems. Bologna owes that position among other things to its situation near the foothills of the Apennines, on the edge of the Po-valley, the most important industrial and agrarian areas of Italy. In the Bolognese area, as in other metropolitan regions in Europe, the developments increasingly pose problems to the administrative system. The Community and the Province began to cooperate with the mayors of the most important communities in the Province. This resulted in the proposal for the gradual establishment of a new metropolitan administrative structure. Bologna and its surroundings are an important industrial area: in economic terms it is one of the healthiest zones of Italy and even of Europe.
