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2014 ERASMUS INTENSIVE PROGRAMME "CITYGREENING"

How Town Planning Can Integrate Urban Agriculture in City Regeneration

Study area

Further informations

• Agronomic aspects (IT)
• Type of cultivations and cultivated areas (IT)
• Cultivation types (EN)

Description

The project area is placed partly within the City of Turin and partly within the town of Moncalieri, located about 8 km from the town of Turin, on NE, and less than 1 km from the town of Moncalieri, on E. This area is a part of the geographical area known as the "Plain of Turin" characterized by numerous and extensive human settlements, large land used for intensive farming and low forest cover.

The landscape is typical of the plain, consisting of slightly undulating surfaces, interrupted by the main waterways and connected to the system hilly terraces. The territory is defined by municipal road "Corso Trieste" and the Regional Road SR 20 "Strada Carignano" on W, from the Highway E-70 on S, A6 Torino-Savona motorway and local roads "Strada Torino" and "Corso Moncalieri" on E.

From the point of view of hydrography, the study area is characterized by the presence of the Po River, which crosses the area from N to S, and two of tributaries, Torrente Sangone, on N, where there is the sewage treatment plant of the SMAT SpA, and Torrente Chisola, on S, concerned by the derivation that supplies the power plant of Iren Energia SpA. Within the area are also some artificial basins derived the quarry activity, in the hydrographic left of the Po river, in the SE portion of the area. Made in order to recover the exhausted quarry areas, these artificial basins now play as well as a recreational function also a natural function, thanks to its diversified natural habitat (i.e. areas with shallow water, deep water areas).

It should be noted, also, that the study area is interested by two natural reserves: the Natural Reserve "Le Vallere", which in addition to an extensive park also includes a large eighteenth-century farmhouse (Cascina Le Vallere), used as headquarters of Po River Park Authority, a children's play area, two areas for dogs, staging points in the green, a botanical-phenological garden, a mooring suitable for any ferries on the river Po, cycling and horse riding, and the Natural Reserve of "Molinello", currently the subject of work of re-naturalization of the quarry lakes and construction of facilities for the enjoyment and sport (currently a quarry basin is already used for water-skiing).

Restrictions

Regarding the presence of restrictions on the study area, it was found that this area is not to affected by environmental or landscape constraints nor by hydrogeological restrictions. Although there is no such hydrogeological restrictions, the Hydrogeological Territorial Plan (PAI) classifies this area with the "high risk", in respect of which "are possible problems for the safety of persons, functional damage to buildings and infrastructure, resulting in unavailability of the same and the interruption of socio-economic activities, damage to cultural heritage", due to flooding and landslides. The section of the Po River, which runs through the area, it is also characterized by a quantitative level of impairment of surface water resources, mainly due to a high rate of withdrawal of aquifer. The state environmental quality of surface water is considered to be poor in this section of the river, due to pollution by plant protection products and, marginally, the presence of derivations. It follows that the quality of the state of the ecosystem is rather impaired.

In the study area there are also two natural reserves: the Natural Reserve "Le Vallere", established with Regional Law n. 37 of 9 December 1982 and then transformed into the Natural Reserve with Regional Law n. 19 of 29 June 2009, that covers an area of about 130 hectares; and the Natural Reserve of "Molinello", established in 1990, that covers an area of about 242 hectares.

Current situation

The area has not undergone major changes over the recent years: not having strong dynamics of change neither past nor in the future in the short to medium term. This stability is due, on the one hand, to the arrangement and good soil fertility, which enables the maintenance of cereal crops and vegetables and the easy workability of soils, on the other hand, in the presence of the constraints of the plan of the park and river areas.

In the area there is a presence of a matrix with a rotation of cereal autumn-winter cereals (wheat) and summer (corn), low or almost absent the presence of permanent grassland, which also testifies to the absence of livestock activities. To a lesser extent there are garden crops on the area with some greenhouses and field crops concentrated in the north (bordering the Park headquarters at Le Vallere) and in the south to the hamlet Barauda. There are also two areas of urban gardens and private Golf Club Moncalieri, which occupies a good portion of the area with environmental impact certainly not irrelevant.

A piece of fruit is found in the range between the highway and the railway Moncalieri, where is also located a small portion of land for the production of lawn rolls. Towards South it is worth noting the presence of derelict land next to former craft or games activities (discotheque and go-kart track).

From the agronomic point of view, we can see in some cases tree species (exotic conifers) for ornamental purposes but not related to landscape context: the presence of exotic weeds are in the area between the river bank and quarry areas. The dense network of services, such as power line and pipeline contributes to the disqualification of this landscape.

In other areas, there are still rows and arboreal elements isolated from Morus alba, Salix alba, Quercus sp., wrecks compared to past agricultural use more extensive and of ecological and landscape value. In addition to the arable crops and more intensive agricultural activities, along the Po the cultivation of Arundo donax (giant reed) is catching, a species with high productivity, especially in irrigated soils but that tolerates drought and other stress and located only in marginal areas not destined to the most valuable crops.

Some critical issues

• Risk of a development of "monoculture" (especially cereal)
• Urban and periurban development pressure, in particular along the SR 20
• Highway bank in East to be qualified (to enhance not only the landscape, but also to solve the environmental issues, noise, pollution, etc.)
• Lack of a clear integration between agricultural areas and natural areas and environmental protection (possible orientations for the project may relate to the promotion of organic farming, especially close to the public lands to the east and in the vicinity of areas pertaining to river)
• Presence of the largest hydroelectric power station IREN and energy distribution networks (power lines and pipelines)
• No livestock activities
• Lack of horticulture activities