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The Serra park was supposed to be ready in spring 2024. Friday in Matera, however, the works never started and the whole area is not usable by citizens, armored by construction networks and in a state of abandonment. The Innovative Architects group is denouncing yet another situation of urban decay and is retracing the process of the park redevelopment project. Last year, a statement released by the municipal administration announced the resumption of works on 11 September 2023 following the overcoming of the legal vicissitudes of the then legal representative of the executing company based in Andria. “The Municipality of Matera – say the architects Sergio Venezia and Giovanni Martemucci – had announced that with the advent of the new management of the contracting company the works would be resumed in order to implement the investment of approximately 1.5 million provided by the Presidency of Cabinet. In reality, apart from a mowing of the grass which took place last September, the works once again stalled and in fact never started. It seems clear that in spring 2024, as announced by Mayor Bennardi, it will not be possible to complete the work and deliver the work to the citizens”. Therefore in the summer, which has now begun, citizens will not be able to use this green area which today appears like an abandoned construction site. The same goes for the camper area located under the park which is still closed.” Yet the “Urban park of Serra Friday” represents a milestone of contemporary Italian and European architecture, so much so that it was included in the Almanac of Italian architecture (Electa 1993) and in the “History of Italian architecture, The second twentieth century” ( edited by Francesco Dal Co, Electa 1997) as an example of a balanced relationship between garden, city and territory. The Serra Friday park project plays a particularly important role in the panorama of contemporary architecture as it represents the clarification of Piccinato’s urban planning idea, namely the “green thorns”, i.e. the tree-lined paths designed to connect the areas green with the neighborhoods and the city. The park redevelopment project involves the creation of an indoor bar of approximately 100 m2, with terrace and outdoor area, the renovation of the 12-seater camper area, a 16-seater tourist area for those staying in tents with their related toilets. “We hope – conclude the innovative architects – that the Municipality will take action for this jewel of contemporary green architecture which in recent years has been completely mistreated despite the continuous protests of the citizens of the neighborhood who are now tired of stopped works and never kept reopening promises”.
