1. Regeneration or speculation? The right to cool down in sweltering Italy
As we experience one of the hottest summers in recent years, amid fire and dryness warnings, the real question is not simply how to halt climate change. The pressing question is: what are we doing to protect ourselves? Above all, the most vulnerable, such as children and the elderly, who are the first to suffer the effects of this record-breaking heat.
2. The Problem: Fake urban regeneration
Let’s take a look at our cities. From Rome all the way to the mountain villages, these ‘urban regeneration’ projects are truly baffling. The few remaining open spaces in historic centres are being built over to make way for new hotels and private accommodation. And what about public spaces? They’ve been reduced down to the bare minimum. Places where it’s impossible to meet up in the shade of a tree or enjoy a bit of cool air, unless you’re prepared to pay the ‘entry fee’ by stepping into a shopping centre.
3. The Demographic Paradox
There is a paradox that is even more disturbing. The Italian and European populations are in sharp demographic decline. We already have countless empty homes and buildings waiting to be redeveloped. Yet, in a sort of cupio dissolvi, we carry on building. We create new heat islands that cause temperatures to skyrocket. We often sacrifice centuries-old trees only to replace them with new plantings – tiny saplings which, if they ever grow, will provide shade only when the current generations of older people are no longer with us.
4. A Call to Action
Ours is a call to change course. We must rethink our cities. We must start to regard people’s well-being – not GDP – as true wealth. This call is addressed to all of us, but first and foremost to politicians: to those who have a duty to safeguard the people’s wellbeing and the future of the next generations.
