Biella Città Arcipelago is a collaborative laboratory for territorial planning and development focused on the sustainable prosperity and creativity of the Biella area. It connects and integrates with the path and projects of Biella Città Creativa UNESCO.

Biella Città Arcipelago originated as a metaphor and a way to interpret the territory, and became a project in 2019 with the goal of initiating a cooperation process between different sectors of Biella’s social fabric, always referencing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda.

The first phase of Arcipelago, developed and funded from 2019 to 2023 by Cittadellarte with the support of Fondazione Biellezza and Fondazione CRB, led to the mapping of 118 entities in the Biella area, a permanent exhibition dedicated to them, and the initiation of co-design tables on topics such as education, food, tourism, energy, and water. Some of these tables are still active and have grown, or have developed specific projects.

The overall goal is to establish an inclusive organizational model that enhances the organizations and experiences developed in the context of sustainable development in the Biella area, reflecting the idea of the Archipelago, where each island, with its own specificities, is connected to all others. The islands are thus represented not only by the urban clusters of the 74 municipalities but also by the themes that emerge as a bond between different entities and organizations operating in Biella, working towards addressing the needs of the population in a participatory process that is consistent with the territory.

The project is now open to the main public and private organizations in the province to collaboratively develop a program of concrete actions aimed at regenerating Biella and becoming a model for the shared care of the territory as a common good. Biella Città Arcipelago is therefore committed to welcoming, integrating, networking, and promoting activities and practices that respond to the needs of the population in a participatory and territory-consistent path. Local administrations, associations, foundations, businesses, schools, and trade unions are invited to participate in this process of shared reflection, bringing their own experiences and ideas.