VerdeCittà, is a road show project
dedicated, through five events in five Italian cities, to raising public awareness
of the benefits that green spaces bring not only to beauty, but also to health
and well-being. As a matter of fact, properly planned and managed, urban
greenery can contribute to controlling climatic excesses, saving energy
and improving air quality.
This awareness is fully
supported by the LIFE VEG-GAP project and its holistic approach to
studying the effects of urban vegetation on climate and air
quality.
The first stage of the
roadshow took place on Friday 11 June in Bologna, where the “Cortile
d'onore di Palazzo D'Accursio” (Palazzo D'Accursio courtyard of honour),
one of the most important historical buildings and the seat of the city council
since 1336, was transformed into a green space with a real temporary
installation, a sort of “hidden garden”, in homage to the Bolognese
"Comunitas".
This is an installation
specially designed for VerdeCittà by green specialists
tailored to the city. This operation was made possible thanks to the
technical-scientific contribution of agronomists and foresters, who designed
the installation and then chose the most suitable plants for the context. For
the Palazzo D'Accursio courtyard of honour, an attempt was made to combine
beauty and science, with the choice of small and medium-sized shrubs suited to
the city's climate and with limited maintenance requirements; for the trees,
Zelkova, Koelreuteia and Sofora, species suited to the urban environment and
which guarantee high or good resistance to pollutants and low emission of
volatile substances and allergens. Moreover, to support the idea of ever
greener and more liveable cities, all the plants used were donated to the Municipality
of Bologna at the end of the event.
As well as illustrating the
project, the exhibition area is dedicated to spreading a more conscious
"green culture": suitably trained staff will be on hand to
provide visitors with information and advice on the benefits of green areas and
their daily management.