Knowledge Sharing & Public Learning
Verde Urbano.
19 and 20 September 2024 | St’Orto Urbano · Cecchi Point
Urban Green, Biodiversity and Urban Regeneration.
On 19 and 20 September 2024, Green Growth Generation organised two evenings of reflection, dialogue and culture dedicated to the green future of cities, as part of the Sfide Ambientali (Environmental Challenges) grant funded by Fondazione ACRA and the Italian Buddhist Institute Soka Gakkai.
Two different and complementary events — an expert talk and a short film screening evening — that explored the need for a new approach to human-nature cohabitation in modern cities, placing urban green, biodiversity, urban regeneration and community participation at the centre.
Via Vittorio Andreis, Turin
19 September — Urban Green: cultivating inclusion and biodiversity St’Orto Urbano
The first event took place at St’Orto Urbano and San Pietro in Vincoli — a sold-out evening that brought together experts, researchers, activists and citizens around a shared mission: protecting and regenerating urban green spaces.
Fabio Balocco — Verde Clandestino
Journalist and author Fabio Balocco, whose book Verde Clandestino (Clandestine Green) inspired the creation of the event, opened the evening with an urgent message:
“Cities must not be only spaces for human beings, but places where nature can not only survive, but thrive, integrating with our daily activities.”
BeeLab and L’Autostrada delle Api — research on pollinators
Manuel Roppo Valente and Giulia Russo, supported by research from the University of Turin laboratory, underlined the essential role of pollinating insects for ecosystem balance, at a historical moment when their habitats are increasingly threatened by urban expansion and intensive pesticide use.
“Without pollinators, the entire cycle of life would be compromised. It is essential to act now to preserve biodiversity.”
Citizens’ committees — Salviamo gli alberi di Corso Belgio and Salviamo la Pellerina
Spokespersons Roberto Accornero and Roberta Contratto brought the territorial dimension to the event, raising concerns about Turin’s urban planning policies and launching an appeal for the protection of the city’s great green lungs:
“These environments are crucial not only for biodiversity conservation, but also for our wellbeing and health.”
Giacomo Castana — Botanics for Everyone and The Music of Plants
Artist and researcher Giacomo Castana shared his journey through the projects Botanica per tutti (Botanics for Everyone) and La musica delle piante (The Music of Plants), inviting the audience to rediscover the deep connection between human beings and the plant world.
Andrea Panero and Andrea Viali — cultural regeneration and shared urban spaces
Andrea Panero, artistic director of San Pietro in Vincoli, spoke about the transformations underway in the Aurora neighbourhood: “Just as with the protection of green spaces, cultural regeneration cannot do without the active participation of the community.”
Andrea Viali, spokesperson for St’Orto Urbano, told the story of how this space came to be, inviting everyone to discover similar places that “await us a few steps from home, if only we open our eyes.”
Casa del Quartiere di Aurora, Via Antonio Cecchi 17, Turin
20 September — Urban Visions and Turin: stories of regeneration and sustainability Cecchi Point
The second evening shifted focus to urban regeneration and environmental sustainability through the language of cinema, with the screening of three selected short films from the Ruta Summer Film School — a creative workshop born in Turin in 2021 to promote sustainable filmmaking.
Mario — the transformative power of nature
Mario — fifteen minutes telling the story of a man capable of transforming a corner of discarded materials and abandoned plants into a small garden of serenity.
“A message about the transformative and healing power of nature” — Caterina Nonis, co-author of the short film.
Verdeacciaio — between concrete and nature
Verdeacciaio by Camilla Morino and Eugenio Goria took the audience into a post-industrial park in Turin, where concrete and steel intertwine with trees and nature — the voices of people who inhabit this space, between a basketball game and a tango, offer an optimistic vision of harmony between nature and city.
Ascoltando la corrente — the River Po and climate change
Ascoltando la corrente (Listening to the Current), part of the project Ciak! Sì, parteciPO!, led the audience to rediscover the River Po and its increasingly uncertain relationship with the city, in a context of climate change that makes flooding and inundations ever more frequent.
Luciano Papangelo’s documentaries — a visual account of the two evenings
It offers an intimate and authentic look at life inside St’Orto Urbano — the testimonies of the people who animate it invite reflection on the value of shared urban spaces as catalysts for social and environmental transformation.
Uno spazio sospeso (A Suspended Space), is a poetic reflection on the bond between human beings and their environment: “St’Orto Urbano is the result of nature’s desire to reclaim its space in a city suffocated by asphalt and concrete, but it is also the fruit of the commitment and passion of a community. Here, human relationships intertwine like tree branches, grow, strengthen.”
Projects.
Projects are the core of our work. Through place-based urban projects, we integrate participation, research, and experimentation in real city contexts.