Città metropolitana e sviluppo economico: il caso di Firenze

After four years since the institution of Metropolitan Cities in Italy, it is possible to assess the real capacity of these authorities to work as “engines” for local and national economic development. To this end, this essay focuses on the institutional experience of the Metropolitan City of Florence and examines the concrete exercise of such fundamental administrative functions as strategic planning and economic development promotion and coordination. The analysis also considers the role of the Tuscany Region and of the Italian Government, so as to underline the limits, missed opportunities and potentialities of the current metropolitan administration, with special regard to the opportunity of establishing stable forms of cooperation which would facilitate the implementation of integrated metropolitan policies.