Province of Turin stops the soil exploitation

by Silvia Musso

In Province of Turin since 1988 to 2006 7,500 hectares of soil have been exploiting, as a second Turin was built. To face this alarming situation, last February the Province of Turin, first in all Italy, approved a new Territorial Plan (Piano Territoriale di Coordinamento) that avoids the construction of new buildings on virgin soils.

Antonio Saitta, president of Province of Turin, answers to our questions.

The Plan got the favorable opinion of the Architects Association and other authorities, but how does the Province of Turin intend to manage the relationship with ostile administrations that, as you have already claimed, use the soil on budget purposes?
«The scheme of the Plan was favorably welcome by about all local administrations of the province. The hostility is not generalized. I can understand the balance problems of municipalities, but I also know that mayors are aware that soil exploitation on budget purposes is a phenomen that in a medium-long period causes big problems on public economic system.If the exploitation of free land at first makes money, in next years can become a boomerang because the consumed soil cause to municipalities impacts on a financial level. The Province of Turin suggest a direction that we want to share with local administrations as the proposed procedure based on a planning coordinated among interested stakeholders».

About this coordinated planning, does the Plan foresees an information campaign and consultation meetings with administrations and citizens?
«During 2009, in the plan scheme that already included the proposal of a limitation of soil use, the Province of Turin leaded a wide consultation with administrations, associations and unions. We registered the direct participation of 262 municipalities of 315. The consulting phase has been an important moment of participation and dialogue with administrations and stakeholders. Moreover the Plan scheme was introduced to associations during an open meeting In Piedmont Region, in national occasions (Verona, Venice) and at the National Observatory of Soil Exploitation. All the documents were sent to local administrations, associations and unions and presented to the press and to the students of the Polytechnic of Turin. We are now foreseeing a seminar in collaboration with the Architects and Engineers Association and an event addressed to municipalities. At a National level we are continuing the work inside the National research centre on soil use. The preliminary project will be presented at the beginning of March, in Matera (Basilicata Region) during the National Urban Meeting».

What communication tools are you planning to use to raise awareness of citizens about the necessity of a politic addressed to the soil defense, restructuring of existing buildings and energy certifications?
«The Province of Turin for years has been involving in information campaigns. Conferences and public events offered occasions of important dialogue for the Province, that proposed a synthesis of these contributions in its planning instrument. Convegni e iniziative pubbliche degli ultimi anni sono stati fonte di importante confronto per la Provincia di Torino, che ha proposto una sintesi all’interno del proprio strumento di pianificazione. Moreover we have just presented a European project for a communication plan focused on the problem of the soil use in collaboration with French, Spanish and Greek partners. Currently it is necessary to start up another communication phase addressed on citizens and not limited on experts. For this all possible instruments are necessary, involving the local administrations systems, Architects and Engineers Associations, in order to propose a new pact for the territory sustainable governance».

Do you think this politics is exportable to other Italian Provinces and Regions?
«Of course yes! Piedmont Region itself is evaluating to adopt our procedure. At the moment the Province of Turin is leader because it is the first Italian administration that started up such a politics. The methodology to measure the soil consumption clashes with a not codified idea of soil use, but the necessity to change the situation is clear either to mass media or administrations. The methodology followed by the province of Turin is simple and it has the quality of being a first concrete answer to the problem; every Italian Province or Region have to face this phenomenon and have to establish a regulatory exploiting soil politics».