“I return to the topic of delays in the construction of the Student Residence in Matera, with construction sites stopped for months and a hunger for student accommodation now evident in the city“.
Thus the Mayor of Matera, Domenico Bennardi, who adds:
“About a year ago, the Basilicata Region had indicated a rough timetable, with the restart of works in September 2024 and testing in August 2026.
We sincerely hope that commitments are respected, because Matera is now an international university citybut at the same time also one world tourist destination.
Two positive aspects that make us proud, but can conflict.
Why:
- on the one hand there are the owners of accommodation, who often legitimately tend to maximize profits with tourism, making them inaccessible to students’ pockets;
- on the other, the many young people who would like to enroll in university faculties active in Matera, but cannot travel as commuters because they are far away.
In this impasse, the availability of a Student Hall would be providential.
The university accommodation emergency has now exploded throughout Italy, especially in tourist and cultural cities such as Florence, Bologna and Rome.
I believe that in the process of establishing the next regional council, it would be appropriate provide for a delegation to the university, capable of structurally addressing the diversified problems and needs of the university between Matera and Potenza.
My concern also arises from the fact that a city like Matera should be able to offer more accommodation to students, as an indispensable condition also for the very survival of its university faculties.
Education cannot and must not become a luxury good reserved for the few.”
