The effort to make cities more livable will not be accomplished until municipal administrations have the necessary money. The petitions of environmentalists and electoral programs are now crashing into budgets shifted to other emergencies. It is the Italian reality of local authorities, unless the State takes charge of the great problem of a real urban revolution. For nine Italian cities- Bergamo, Bologna, Florence, Milan, Padua, Parma, Prato, Rome and Turin– the Minister of the Environment Gilberto Pichetto Fratin has given the willingness to help the mayors. Is a meeting in Rome enough to proceed? the verification will be done very soon.
The cities have been selected by the European Commission among those of the 'Mission 100 climate neutral cities by 2030'. A very ambitious idea that sees local administrators among the protagonists of the ecological transition. 2030 is seven years away and if the goals are to be met, we need to hurry. Pichetto Fratin meeting the Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri and the representatives of the other cities showed confidence in the work to be done. What is this challenge really all about? First of all in the rationalization of energy incentivesi, then in the simplification of procedures, in the strengthening of networks and in specific actions to adapt to climate change. Central points of a horizontal reorganization of livability that is in the hands of the elected. For at least six of the selected cities, projects to be completed on schedule will be an honorable way out after the correlations between Covid 19 and air pollution. Moreover, some of them, even after the tragedy of the epidemic, continue to be in the first places of the most European cities polluted .
The alliance between the government and the city to move forward
The 100 metropolises will have to become centers of experimentation and innovation, so that even the smallest cities can follow theorganizational and planning example, but by 2050 says the EU. In this respect, the Minister said that the executive is moving towards an alliance between the Government and the cities involved in the transition. "We are facing a common challenge - he explained - which must then be able to involve the whole country". The actions carried out in the individual Municipalities could be 'best practices' to be adopted elsewhere. Optimism in abundance in the country of a thousand bell towers which, however, needs to have good interlocutors in the centre. In this sense, the data in the hands of the Commission help to understand the need to protect the environment and health. In Rome they should know them and keep them clearly visible so as not to only fuel hopes. Well, 4% of the European territory is occupied by medium and large cities. But the most significant fact underlying the "Mission 100 cities" program is that in this small portion of the territory lives the 75% of European citizens. And they are the ones who emit 70% of carbon dioxide into the air. In winter mainly due to gas radiators, widely used. In short, the projects on which the government intends to collaborate must be transversal and include mobility, building quality, public transport.
Use the funds for the suburbs and for individuals
From a financial point of view, the PNRR has allocated 3 billion euros to redevelop the suburbs che have their weight on the urban fabric. They are also the most difficult areas to heal, with disfigured spaces, difficult social relations and little political representation. Italy also has un 272 million euro fund for the 14 Metropolitan Cities managed by the Ministry of the Interior and the EIB. This money is intended for private entrepreneurs who want to build eco-sustainable infrastructures that accompany the Integrated Urban Plans. The link with the environmental quality lies in the recovery of buildings or abandoned areas, in improving the energy efficiency of buildings, in the creation of new spaces. So that all this does not seem like a reissue of the dream book, the government just has to do its part quickly. The Minister of the Environment has already committed.
