When cities explode

When cities explode ... is it possible to repopulate them with gardens and gardens? Yes, this is the idea of ​​recovering green spaces that is becoming increasingly popular in Italy.

The big cities are exploding, you know. From Milan to New Delhi, from New York to Rome, from Madrid to Beijing, the cities overflow with things and people. Forma Urbis has always attracted and exercised a great fascination for the new generations in search of employment, and not only.

Statistically, the percentage of people who flock there continues to increase over the years, despite the frequent leaks in the countryside and reversals. Very often, however, it also happens that those who feel the nostalgia of the green go right to seek it in the very heart of the great metropolises. And surprisingly he finds it in various forms!

The recovery of new spaces

Parks, public gardens, play areas for children, trails and cycle paths. Green in cities is a fundamental element. New York could not exist without Central Park, just as Milan has Parco Sempione. Even in Rome the recovery of green spaces is in turmoil. But not just parks we talk about. Lately the spaces of aggregation in the green have also increased for the capital of fashion, perhaps in view of the future Expo 2015, giving way to co-financed projects that see the renovation of what used to be the old farmhouses.

Of old farmhouses in Milan, close to the historic center, there are more than 50, among those to be arranged and those already used for usable spaces or still having their old agricultural function. Anyone who is part of the Cascine Milano 2015 Committee knows this, a non-profit group made up of people, associations of citizens, foundations, social cooperatives, which share the conviction that the Milanese farms represent a heritage of places and practices of great value historical, cultural and environmental important to protect, to keep alive and open to the city. At the Committee's website it is possible to download the open farmhouses program, the atlas of the Milanese farmhouses and see from time to time which initiatives are proposed.

The example of Cascina Cuccagna

One of the farms that has recently resumed life in an exciting way is the Cascina Cuccagna . At the base there is a strong project, of culture, aggregation and participation of all citizens. This is precisely the Cascina Cuccagna. Near Piazzale Lodi, practically in the city center, an old 18th century farmhouse has been recovered and open to the public.

The people who have collaborated and are still collaborating on the project have devised a catering service, which makes use of its own organic products, creative workshops for adults and children, events and collateral events linked to the land, care for nature and to the recovery of old manual skills, peasant crafts, such as the care of the vegetable garden, and the rediscovery of craft practices. An illuminated and enlightening idea that is becoming a fundamental meeting point for young and old, as well as an example to follow and imitate.