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Factories become parks
27 April, Il Sole 24 Ore
Disused factories, unmarketable old hotels, beachfront to renovate and in need of new facilities. There are many projects on the Adriatic Coast. Some initiatives are about to resume after a period of standstill due to the recession, while others are necessary due to the earthquakes, and some others originated from the good relations between public administration and companies, looking for innovative solutions for the seasonal tourism.
In Porto Sant’Elpidio, in the province of Fermo, the requalification project launched in 2011 of the former Fim area has recently got the final approval. The old disused industrial area will be turned into a new neighbourhood with buildings occupying 33 thousand Sq m on a surface of 73 thousand Sq m. The area includes two buildings in the central part with an archaeological industrial restriction, namely the Cattedrale and Palazzina office buildings. “The former Fim area is an example of eco-sustainability – explains Maurizio Andreoli, the Fima architect – the objective is to create a contemporary lifestyle, without the need of cars, with the carbon emissions of the buildings close to zero”.
The core of the project is the Cathedral with its square facing the sea that will be converted into a hotel thanks to a requalification project mixing old and new structures.
Going north towards Ancona, in the small town of Numana, the Municipality is currently evaluating how to restart a project that got stuck due to the recession. “It concerns the demolition of a big hotel, over ten floors, just near the beach – explains Vittorio Salmoni, director for the general zoning plan – and the repositioning of the volumes in the same area. The operation is only 25% completed. The administration is currently evaluating with some private companies how to carry the project forward. The total volume is 100 thousand cubic metres, a very precious space to regenerate a small town of 4 thousand inhabitants that hosts 60 thousand tourists during summer”. The real estate fund Cerberus acquired the credits from Banca Marche. Now it’s up to the Municipality to come out with innovative ideas and sustainable proposals to complete the intervention.
Rimini bets everything in collective investing with the participation for the next years of about 70 associations and stakeholders, “gathering in this way the needs of the community – said Roberto Ricci, president of the Board of Architects of Rimini – and defining a strategy for the urban regeneration. All the ideas are shared on a forum with the institutions in charge and then discussed by the City Council”. A winning strategy that translates ideas into regulations to bring innovation into the projects. “In the past few years, Rimini managed to attract total funding for 100 million – explains Ricci – some are ongoing, some other have been already completed”. Looking at the future and considering the real estate part, there are still some issues left to solve concerning the old summer camps that will have to find investors able to turn them into facilities supporting the local hospitality sector. In the meanwhile, the Municipality of Rimini started the procedure to regain Colonia Novarese (where Coopsette was supposed to implement a wellness and beauty centre), a strategic property for the economy of the southern part of the city.
Whereas in the northern part of Rimini, the valorization project of Torre Pedrera has started. In the beach destination, the City of Rimini will implement public infrastructures, while private companies are working on the requalification of the beach front.
Riccione is also systematically investing in the territorial and urban development of a vast area dedicated to outdoor tourism in the southern edge of the city, stretching from the beach front to the railway tracks for a total surface of 45 hectares. “From a social point of view – explains Roberto Cesarini from the city administration – it means thinking about a campsite that is not separated from the city, but it rather offers spaces, activities and facilities also to the people that are not guests of the camping”. The masterplan designed by Marino Bonizzato integrates guests and locals, and it is used to coordinate and address the various players involved in the project. Furthermore, the Municipality has made effective the urban planning act of Emilia-Romagna L. 24/2017. The act allows private investors to access the operating agreements of the Municipality resulting in the practical implementation of the ideas.
Source: Il Sole 24 Ore
Translator: Cristina Ambrosi