Italian Cities Transform Piazzas into Green Urban Gardens

Several Italian cities are launching projects to convert asphalt-covered piazzas into green urban gardens, part of a broader environmental transition. In Milan, Piazzale Loreto will become the LOC – Loreto Open Community, winner of a competition under Reinventing Cities Milano. Piazza Piola has been transformed into a Zen Garden with cherry trees and sculptures by Japanese artist Kengiro Azuma, a collaboration between institutions and citizens. In Mantua, the area in front of Palazzo Te will be redeveloped into a large green arena by landscape studio AG&P of Emanuele Bortolotti, featuring green rooms, shaded areas, paths, flowerbeds, and an urban botanical garden. In Reggio Emilia, the largest urban green platform in Europe, spanning over 20 hectares, is planned on the former Campo Volo area by studio Iotti + Pavarani, designed for outdoor events, concerts, and theater. These projects aim to create social spaces and improve air quality, following examples like London's linear park on a disused railway and Paris's pedestrianization of the Champs-Élysées.