Greening Rome - Global Rome: Changing Faces of the Eternal City - page 256

proved, an agreement between the group and the authorities is established. at
this point, the city should provide water and soil. as in the case of paris, in Rome
too, the only requirement is that gardens be open to the public at least two days
per year. in reality, as pointed out by bianca Daniello, president of la Vanga
Quadra (The square spade)—a civic association interested in creating urban gar-
dens in Rome—the municipal authorities are often very inactive in this respect.
indeed, at times, the city goes against such activities due to the absence of a clear
policy for urban gardens and the perpetuation of spatial policies favoring the
covering of green areas with concrete rather than protecting the remaining green
areas (scarpa 2012). This position is shared by many people in the movement. as
an example, antonio Viglietto of the Circolo Garbatella (Garbatella association)
speaks for many when he says, “it is necessary to defend public green from the
institutions.” in the absence of a clear policy on this issue, it is easy for citizens
to find themselves operating in situations of illegality, namely creating public
gardens without having received permission. as pointed out by lorenzo parlati,
president of the environmental group legambiente lazio (league for the envi-
ronment, lazio branch), “the absence of a shared program and policy can lead
to paradoxical situations because those who defend and protect the environment
often have to operate illegally.” within this context of institutional vacuum and
civic activism, the following section of the research presents a few examples of
urban gardens in Rome.
in Via dei Galli in san lorenzo, a centrally located neighborhood behind the
main railroad hub of termini, there is a garden managed by three local associa-
tions: associazione sportiva popolare (sporting Club of the people), associazi-
one Volsci 32, and Cooperativa oltre (Cooperative beyond). as explained by an-
tonella, the spokesperson for associazione sportiva popolare, the garden, more
of a playground for children in fact, is on public land and was created in 2006
after a long battle to prevent the area—by then reduced to a typical terrain vague
used as a dump and colonized by thorny bushes—from becoming a parking lot.14
The civic battle by the three associations, whose legal expenses were covered by
the city, was eventually adjudicated in favor of the public. with other residents,
especially families with small children who did not have places to play if not on
the street in the middle of traffic, and with workers provided by the city, the three
associations cleaned the space, created pathways, a playground, and seating. lat-
er, the residents built toilets and a small cafeteria and planted trees, vines, and a
vegetable garden around the area's perimeter. today, the garden is bustling with
activity and is trying to connect the experience with other experiments through-
out the city via a mostly virtual association called filoverde (Green Thread).15 in
the neighborhood of Garbatella, environmental associations and several families
have occupied and cleaned a space near the offices of the Rome province and are
awaiting a decision by the city on whether they can permanently develop a com-
munal garden. Nearby, in the ostiense neighborhood near the basilica of saint