“On Thursday 27 June at Palazzo San Giorgio the associations of the Assetto del Territorio municipal council met Paolo Brunetti, vice mayor and councilor with responsibility for the environment, to discuss the green situation in the city. The meeting on the topic is the third promoted by the Consulta with representatives of the municipal administration after those held this year on 22 February and 8 May in the third commission”. He states this in a note Gerardo Pontecorvo President of the Municipal Consultation on Land Planning.
“The meeting was attended by the president of the Consulta Pontecorvo for Club UNESCO, Liotta Legambiente, Iannì AMPANA, Agostino Italia Nostra, Papaianni Fare Ambiente, Morabito Maestri del Lavoro, Polimeni Comitato Centro Storico, Gioffrè Kronos, and Cafarelli as historical consultant. President Gerardo Pontecorvo introduced the proceedings by showing Deputy Mayor Brunetti the main critical issues encountered by the associations in the management and protection of public and private urban greenery”.
“Lidia Liotta underlined, among other things, the need in the green design phases to involve environmental and neighborhood associations for active participation of citizens in the choices as also provided for by the current municipal regulation. Rossella Agostino suggested that a census of urban greenery should be carried out so as to be able to effectively plan interventions. Concetta Papaianni, Francesca Polimeni, Antonino Iannì and Alessandro Gioffrè brought to the attention of the Deputy Mayor the felling of ornamental trees without an apparent reason and some situations of abandonment of greenery in the city’s neighborhoods”.
“The president of the Council and the other representatives of the associations have asked that the redevelopment of green areas must always refer to the provisions of the regulation, including the replacement of trees cut according to the principle of compensation. They therefore underlined that the redevelopment projects should first of all aim at renaturalizing the places by increasing the greenery which constitutes an essential element for the life of citizens and the decorum of the city. The need to cut down trees only in the event of serious danger to public safety and after it has been ascertained and certified by specialized technicians was also represented. Concerns have also been expressed regarding pruning when it is carried out in a manner contrary to the regulations which aim to preserve the foliage of the trees and the presence of bird nests. For this reason, it was recommended to raise awareness among those in charge of the work.”
“The Deputy Mayor took the floor to respond to the observations, starting by specifying that the felling of trees by the Municipality is limited to real dangerous situations. He then listed a series of actions undertaken with the aim of improving urban greenery. In particular, he focused on the project to census urban greenery and that of redeveloping street trees. He also highlighted that the redevelopment works in the former Tempietto area are a virtuous example of the Administration’s desire to aim for an increase in trees and a decrease in paved spaces”.
“The Council hopes that this last institutional meeting can establish a sort of “green pact” between the organization and associations so as to improve the situation and make the city more livable and welcoming”.
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