Urban strategies for planning and regeneration aim to reduce land consumption and limit urban expansion, encouraging reuse and recovery of green spaces.
Variation to the urban planning tool of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia provides for the cancellation of 136 hectares of potentially urbanizable areas and their reclassification in agricultural areas.
The practice has been introduced to reduce soil cosumption and to promote rural territory. In 2015, in fact, the Municipality presented a strategic plan for the enhancement of urban and peri-urban agriculture as an important economic player in Reggio Emilia.
The plan acts both at level of public and private green spaces, in order to re-evaluate areas that are currently abandoned or unused, and to promote new forms of integration and social cohesion through the care of the city green and agricultural practice.
Within this strategy, in 2018 the Municipality promoted an initiative to support the Agricultural knowledge framework for the new General Urban Plan, consisting in the systematization and analysis of the various components that define the agricultural sector, starting from the mapping of farms and livestocks.
Other measures implemented are : a MoU with representatives of the agricultural world to promote education and employment projects in the agricultural sector; promotion of areas dedicated to agricultural activities and entrepreneurial farming; promotion of new urban vegetable gardens and horticulture by private individuals, as well as the creation of a municipal urban horticulture network; organization of events to increase agricultural awarness.
Resources needed
Municipality staff: 10 employees + 1 manager. The strategy has resulted in a lower income from the tax on building (IMU) equal to about €287.000 per year. Refunds requested by taxpayers and referring to the municipal property tax (ICI) must also be considered, for an approximate value of € 131.000.
Evidence of success
Positive feedback from private subjects who have joined the Expression of Interest for the reclassification interventions proposed by the Municipality, which showed the convergence between private interests and urban planning objectives (reduction of soil consumption and city regeneration). 47 requests for the reclassification of 136 hectares were received.
6 permanent working tables for the preparation of the Knowledge Framework of the new General Urban Plan.
352 new Municipal urban gardens
Difficulties encountered
Contextualization of the practice according to the territorial context and dynamics.
Potential for learning or transfer
This good practice is an example of a successful public-private partnership and, as such, should be considered as highly transferable for Policy Makers that want to design territorial policies through participatory pathways. The main elements of learning and transferability are:
- the mapping of peri-urban areas according to the specific features and vocational characteristics, which allows for the monitoring of data and assessment of current laws and rules;
- the inclusion of actions for compatibility between primary production and demand for landscape environmental quality (multifunctionality)
- The definition of a detailed law to set up actors, uses and actions and giving value to several vocation of the territory.
- The definition of a permanent partnership with local stakehoders to design concrete actions to address changing demands and needs.
Tags: Action plan, Agriculture, Awareness, Conservation, Development, Environment, Land use, Reduction
