Urban Horticulture in Modena, Italy, 1980–2015

Authors

  • Gilberto Mazzoli European University Institute, Italy

Abstract

Modena, an average city (184,973 inhabitants) located in the north of Italy, was the first Italian city to introduce a law that recognized the social and economic role of urban allotments. The law established that retired people, or citizens aged over 55, are allowed to ask for a small garden in some dedicated peripheral areas of the city. A new law pertaining to urban horticulture, passed in July 2015, reduced the age limit, allowing people aged under 55 to ask for a urban garden. This project started in Autumn 2016.

Author Biography

Gilberto Mazzoli, European University Institute, Italy

Gilberto Mazzoli is a graphic designer and aspiring environmental historian, with a passion for photography. He’s from Modena, Italy, and he holds a MA in Contemporary History, and a BA in Media and Communication, both awarded by the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. He is currently a member of the Migration History Lab at the University of Modena, and he is developing a project on urban horticulture which aims to link environmental history to social and urban history. This article is taken from an exhibition held at KTH Stockholm in March 2016 and in Modena in May 2016. In September 2017 Mazolli will enroll in a PhD program at the European University Institute in Florence.

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Summer