Catania, Italy
City population: 290083
Duration: 2016 – 2020
Implementation status: Ongoing
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: 30000 m2
Type of area: Previous derelict area, Residential
Last updated: October 2021

The municipality of Catania has promoted an initiative that involves schools and non-profit associations, for which available space for urban gardens and horticulture has been provided. The main aim was to regenerate areas which were used abusively as landfills and for criminal activities. What will be produced must strictly conform to the principles of sustainable production, by using biological products and 0 environmental impact techniques. (Ref.1.)

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Community gardens and allotments
  • Allotments
  • Community gardens

Key challenges

  • Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
  • Climate change mitigation
  • Regeneration, land-use and urban development
  • Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
  • Effective management
  • Combatting crime and corruption
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Environmental education
  • Environmental and climate justice
  • Social cohesion
  • Social interaction
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Enabling opportunities for physical activity
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation
  • Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
  • Economic development: agriculture
  • Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
  • Sustainable consumption
  • Sustainable production

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Transformation of previously derelict areas, Knowledge creation and awareness raising

Project objectives

The goals behind this project, which as an extension is among the most relevant in Italy, are manifold: -to bring citizens closer to the principles and practices of environmental sustainability: each garden, even the smallest and most secluded, contains and represents a challenge for a more sustainable lifestyle. -urban agriculture also helps to reduce the carbon dioxide released by activities located in cities. - producing your own food within urban borders means avoiding long-distance transport; at the same time, it is proven that the presence of plants absorbs CO2. -the experience of urban gardens also concerns the social and educational functions they perform, bringing young people closer to knowledge, to the pleasure of cultivating the land and in general to ecology. (Ref. 4)

Implementation activities

In order to reach the predetermined goals, the areas for cultivation were first legally claimed by the municipality to clear the area from the mafia influence, Secondly, the city itself provided seeds and materials necessary for cultivation, which are available for those who want to participate, being residents, children, elderly people or schools and associations (Ref.2.)

Climate-focused activities

Climate change mitigation:

  • Increase green urban nature for carbon storage (wetlands, tree cover)
  • Raise public awareness of behaviours, lifestyle and cultural changes with mitigation potential

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality
  • Citizens or community groups
  • Marginalized groups: Elderly people, Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed)
  • Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
  • Young people and children

Governance

Management set-up

  • Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
  • Co-management/Joint management
  • Citizen science

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The municipality of Catania is the initiator of the project. It provides the land and the authorization to cultivate the areas, as well as the required material. A specific commission assigns the areas available to private citizens, schools and public and non-profit associations which are in charge to cultivate and take care of the area. (Ref.1.)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (The intevention is influenced by the local plan "Norme di attuazione per l'assegnazione e la gestione degli orti urbani" (norms to implement and manage urban gardens and hoticultural practices), which establishes the modality of the intervention and the rules to comply with for the cultivation (Ref.3.))

Financing

Total cost

€500,000 - €2,000,000

Source(s) of funding

  • Public local authority budget

Type of funding

  • Earmarked public budget

Non-financial contribution

Type of non-financial contribution
  • Provision of land
  • Provision of goods
  • Provision of labour
  • Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
  • Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
  • Citizens (e.g. volunteering)

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Environmental quality
  • Improved soil quality
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
  • Increased conversion of degraded land or soil
  • Restoration of derelict areas

Economic impacts

  • Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved liveability
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • Increased opportunities for social interaction
  • Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

Ref.1. CataniaMobilita (2016). Al via la riqualificazione di piazza Giuseppe Sciuti: sarà ZTL. Available at Source link (Accessed 20-6-2020)
Ref.2. Comune di Catania (2015). PROCEDURA APERTA PER L’APPALTO DI ESECUZIONE DEI LAVORI “PROGETTO PER LA RIQUALIFICAZIONE DI ALCUNE AREE IN PROSSIMITÀ DELLA PIAZZA CARLO ALBERTO – PIAZZA SCIUTI”. Catania: pp. 1-15 Attached

Ref. 3 Cronaca Oggi Quatidiano (2017), Consegnata alla città piazza Giuseppe Sciuti e l’area circostante dopo la riqualificazione, Available at Source link (Accessed 18-7-2020)



Urban gardens Librino

Orti urbani Librino



Ref.1. Sicilia press (2016). Gli orti urbani a Catania sono realtà: ecco come funzionano (Website not accessible in 2020)

Ref.2. Comune di Catania (2016). Orti urbani: Bianco, "Pubblicato bando, i primi dieci assegnati entro inizio luglio". Available at Source link (Accessed 20-6-2020)

Ref.3. Comune di Catania (2016). BANDO PER L'ASSEGNAZIONE DI ORTI URBANI QUARTIERE LIBRINO. Catania, pp. 1-3, Available at Source link (Accessed 20-6-2020)

Ref. 4 Catania Mobilita (2018), Librino, tre ettari dedicati agli orti urbani: consegnati tutti i lotti agli assegnatari, Available at Source link, (Accessed 19-7-2020)

Ref. 5, Comune di Catania (2017), Norme di attuazione per l'assegnazione e la gestione degli orti urbani, Available at Source link, (Accessed 19-7-2020)

Ref.6 Comune di Catania (no date), Ponmetro Catania 2014-2020, Available at Source link, (Accessed 19-7-2020)