Antonio Ottomanelli Criticizes Anti-Terror Barriers as Urban Imprisonment

In a critical essay published on Artribune, architect Antonio Ottomanelli challenges Stefano Boeri's proposal to replace concrete jersey barriers with trees and planters for anti-terror defense in Italian cities. Ottomanelli argues that such measures, even if aesthetically pleasing, constitute a form of urban imprisonment and undermine public space. Drawing on his experience in Baghdad, where blast walls and jersey barriers have failed to prevent attacks and instead disorient residents, he contends that security architecture erases memory and identity. He notes that in Iraq, activists like Shuruq have campaigned against these 'architectural cancers.' Ottomanelli also highlights the disproportionate media focus on Islamist terrorism, which accounts for less than 4% of attacks in Europe, compared to threats like the 'ndrangheta. He criticizes the immediate acceptance of Boeri's idea by Italian municipalities as superficial and warns that such measures sacrifice freedom and privacy for minimal security gains. The essay calls for a revolution in how public space is conceived, emphasizing transparency and unpredictability as essential qualities. Ottomanelli insists that true public space cannot be designed through security devices but must emerge from community building and identity reconstruction.