venerdì 6 marzo 2009
THE SMARTEST CITY - PART III
martedì 3 marzo 2009
THE SMARTEST CITY PART II
It has lost 1/4 of its inhabitants. 1/4 of its tax-payers. A population of 127.000 inhabitants.
The smartest city has lost in 1971-2009 the equivalent of a city such a Ferrara.
And, because it is the smartest city, in the same period it has expanded the urbanized surface over 9,000 hectares, thus creating huge problems of budget as the utilities network had to double.
And, because the utilities network doubled, the level of taxation has become the most expensive in Italy.
A fantastic vicious circle.
Too much built surface. Too scarce residents and tax-payers. Too much heavy level of taxation.
Last but not least, between 1991 and 2007 the Municipal Company for Public Transportation has increased its fleet by 20 units. From 453 to 474 units-
Pity that in the same period the extension of the Public Transportation network passed from 354 km upto 561 km !
And passengers dropped from 107 millions in 1991 dawn to 96 millions in 2007.
It is definetely the smartest city.
The only one that instead of planning an efficient NORTH-SOUTH and EAST-WEST network of subway, it wastes money in dreaming of surrealistic people-mover.
It is the only one that insists in ignoring the lesson from all the other European cities. The only one that pretends not to build a tramway on tracks. The only one that prefers building concrete walls in the historic center.
E' la città più furba.
Quella che nel 1971 aveva 499.000 abitanti e si estendeva su una superficie urbanizzata di 5.000 ettari.
Quella che nel 2009 ha 372.000 abitanti e si estende su una superficie urbanizzata di 9.000 ettari.
Ha perduto 127.000 abitanti, cioè 1/4 della sua popolazione, 1/4 dei suoi contribuenti.
Ha perduto una città grande come Ferrara. Nello stesso periodo la sua superficie urbanizzata è aumentata del 90%. Si è quasi raddoppiata, dilatando a dismisura le sue spese per le reti elettriche, l’illuminazione, i servizi pubblici, le strade, le reti dei trasporti e delle fognature.
Un disastro che si traduce nelle tasse più alte d’Italia. Un Comune che deve inventarsi ogni giorno nuovi balzelli per coprire il deficit causato da una pianificazione fallimentare.
E' la città più furba.
Nel 1991 l’ATC, l’azienda dei trasporti pubblici aveva 453 mezzi e una rete di 354 km.Nel 2007, l’ATC ha una flotta di 473 mezzi e una rete di 561 km. A fronte di un aumento di soli 20 mezzi, un’esplosione delle linee di 207 km !
Cioè, mentre la popolazione diminuiva drammaticamente, la flotta rimaneva quasi costante, mentre il servizio peggiorava sensibilmente dovendo raggiungere quasi il doppio della superficie urbanizzata.
Dovendo coprire un territorio quasi il doppio di quello del 1991.
Mentre l’estensione delle linee aumentava ipertroficamente, la popolazione calava e i passeggeri paganti scendevano dai 107 milioni del 1991 ai 96 milioni del 2007.
E' la città più furba.
Invece di dotarsi di un efficiente sistema di metro NORD-SUD e EST-OVEST, dibatte da anni su surreali piani di metro-tamvia e "people-mover" e, unica in Europa, insiste a ignorare la lezione di tutte le altre città europee e a voler far passare un tram su gomma dentro il Centro Storico medievale circondandolo con 2 muri di cemento!
lunedì 2 marzo 2009
THE SMARTEST CITY IN EUROPE
Bologna's citizens are today gathering in Via Marconi to stop the construction of a heavy Tramway. The only tramway in Europe running without tracks in the medieval historical center.
The only tramway in Europe that pretends to build 2 pathetic concrete walls to protect the new tram in its running trhoughout the streets of the historical centers.
Compliments to the Mayor and his assistants.
Bologna will become the first city in Europe to build concrete walls in the historical center after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The smartest city in Europe
Oggi i cittadini di Bologna si riuniscono in Via Marconi per carcare di fermare la costruzione del Civis, il tram su gomma che dovrebbe passare per il Centro Storico protetto da due muri di cemento.
In questo modo, Bologna si candida ad essere la prima città in Europa che costruisce un tram su gomma e NON su ferro nel suo centro storico.
Dopo aver brillantemente tolto le rotaie del tram negli anni '60 del secolo passato, Bologna cerca oggi di passare alla Storia per il suo piccolo, ridicolo, e un po' patetico, muro.
Complimenti al Sindaco e ai suoi Assessori.
La città più furba d'Europa !
giovedì 26 febbraio 2009
THE ONLY WAY TO GET OUT OF THE CRISIS
Getting to Smart Growth.
Per uscire dalla crisi occorre una nuova strategia.
Occorre una Crescita Intelligente.
Una Smart Growth
Rottamiamo la vecchia urbanistica !
giovedì 19 febbraio 2009
STOP BUILDING OBJECTS FLOATING IN THE EMPTINESS
one day this madness will possibly end.
Building isolated objects surrounded by green areas is the best system to create the perfect site for crime.
Let's learn the lesson.
Don't help criminals. Build the city!
lunedì 16 febbraio 2009
WANT TO CUT CRIME? IT TAKES A NEIGHBORHOOD
The impressive series of violences and rapes against young women in Italy demonstrates how un-safe the brutalist environment of Slab-Urbia is.
Built as a result of 20th century worst ideologies, Slab-Urbia has produced the worst peripheries in the country: Gallaratese in Milan; Pilastro in Bologna; Corviale in Rome; Vele in Naples, etc.
What all these horrible areas do have in common is the huge amount of concrete Slabs surrounded by a huge amount of no-man-land.
It is right in this no-man-land that crime takes place.
Hidden behind the trees and the bushes of so meany so-called "parks", criminals attack young women and couples. Parks in Slab-Urbia create the best setting for ambush.
Slab-Urbia has demonstrated to be the worst dysaster in urban planning and the best area for crime.
Let's put an end to this tragedy. Let's transform those horrible areas into true mixed-use urban neighborhoods. Let's give citizens the right to choose the place where to live and stroll.
The Italian Government has declared a State of Emergency against crime. Thousands of policemen are going to be used to patrol streets and parks.
This move will certainly help, but will never be sufficient. It is virtually impossible to patrol all the no-man-lands of Italian Slab-Urbia. If you really want to cut crime, you've got to build true urban neighborhoods.
mercoledì 4 febbraio 2009
CIVICARCH WORKSHOP - 11 FEBRUARY 2009
- Economic and financial trends of EU cities
- Economic developments and tax revenues
- Mixed-use development
- TND and smart-growth ordinances
- Transit uses, pedestrian and vehicle circulation
- Case studies from USA and EU cities
mercoledì 28 gennaio 2009
"Bye Bye Skyscrapers!"
It's an old story.
For centuries, cities have been built by using height-limits.
It could be 3 storeys like Ferrara, it could be seven like Paris and Berlin, or more. But limits in height do express a profound democratic value.
Every citizen is equal under the Law.
So, either every citizen has the right to build skyscrapers -like in Up-Town and Mid-Town Manhattan- or nobody -like in Washington D.C.
US are quite clear about it. EU not.
European cities are the expression of a culture that finds always difficult to adopt a true democratic process.
The main idea in EU is that when you become Mayor of a city you can allow your friends to build skyscrapers -and therefore gain a lot of money- while the rest of the populations doesn't share the same right.
The result is the pathetic skyline of most EU cities where a few skyscrapers ruin the beautiful and democratic profile of a city where only the Public Institutions -the Municipality, the Church, etc.-did traditionally have the right to build over the city's limit.
A Campanile is a tower with one storey only! Never to forget. So the problem is clear.
You can have high buildings and monuments when you deal with Civic Institutions. But private should be ruled in an equal way.
Today, this rather pathetic situation is dramatically changing.
Because you cannot build a skyscraper in phases. It must be built at once.
It is not like an organic urban neighborhood that can be built through phases. One block after the other. If the economic situation is good and the market booming fine. If not, slowly, one block after the other.
The skyscraper is not flexible. And like all the rigid things, today is in danger.
Good news for the EU cities!
Gli Stati Uniti sono molto chiari a riguardo, la Comunità Europea no.
Oggi questa patetica situazione sta drammaticamente cambiando.
"The Next Urban Neighborhood"
Cities within the city you can say.
Every city made of urban neighborhoods and districts. Every city made of several cities.
Like Paris.
One metropolis of 2.150.000 inhabitants made of 20 cities called Arrondissements. And every Arrondissement made of 4-5 urban neighborhoods.
Every Arrondissement with its own central plaza. Its own Town Hall Building. Its own market.
That's why it is about time to start designing the next City. The XXI Arrondissement!
Come ci insegna la tradizione delle più belle città al mondo, il modo migliore per progettare
E’ semplicissimo.
E partendo da questa regola basilare si arrivano a costruire le metropoli.
“Città fatte di città” si potrebbe dire.
E ciascuna composta da Quartieri e Distretti. Composta da altre “città”.
Parigi ad esempio.
Una metropoli di 2.150.000 abitanti formata da 20 altre città chiamate Arrondissement, ciascuno
strutturato in 4 o 5 quartieri.
Ogni Arrondissement con la propria Piazza, il proprio Municipio, il proprio Mercato.
E’ il momento d’iniziare a pensare una Nuova Città. Il XXI Arrondissement!
avoe-21arrondissement by Gabriele Tagliaventi is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribuzione-Non commerciale-Condividi allo stesso modo 2.5 Italia License.
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