Candidate – Italy

Submission by: PAN Associati s.r.l. with ITS Engineering Company Pieve di Soligo (TV) (ing. G. Moro, ing. A. De Pin), EMF Girona, Spagna (dr. Marti Franch Batllori), arch. Franco Zagari Roma con Asprostudio Vicenza (C. Bertorelli, arch. F. Dal Toso), geol. Gino Lucchetta.

Project name: Parco della Pace

Link : https://www.panassociati.net/progetti/parco-della-pace

 

Short description

Parco della Pace is a great work of landscape and environmental redevelopment and enhancement in which water, vegetation and fauna have found continuous reciprocal connections.
The park is located on the outskirts of Vicenza, the city of Palladio, which is set in a highly industrialised and urbanised area. It is located in the area of the former airport and covers an area of 650,000 square metres. It is a work of urban regeneration realised with Nature with the aim of creating an ‘ecological machine’ that provides ecosystem services on an urban and territorial level. Within it, an innovative union of engineering, environmental, cultural, social and aesthetic components is realised, offering visitors an extended experience of contemplation, use and knowledge of nature and its dynamics in an urban context. The park has been designed by adopting innovative solutions in the field of sustainability with the aim of becoming a paradigm of the park of the future: an example for the regeneration of European cities realised with nature.

Social cohesion

The park is divided into numerous spaces that host various permanent or temporary functions. It is characterized as a place dedicated to leisure, walking, sports, music, gatherings and socializing, culture, education, and the promotion of peace.
The main entrance, or “East Gate” is a large covered square created from a former hangar, useful for events of all kinds, with a refreshment and reception area. Around it, also housed in the airport facilities, there are a museum dedicated to aeronautics, a multipurpose space for contemporary art, the Park House, and spaces for associations.
The large lawns and paved internal squares host recreational activities (model airplane flying, kite flying, skating, events, etc.). A terrace overlooking the lake is an ideal spot for hosting shows and concerts. The former airport runway is equipped for large events.
The park also includes an area for horticultural cultivation, large lawns, and spaces equipped for individual or team sports (basketball, volleyball, soccer, and rugby). The “kilometer” canal hosts canoeing activities.
The project has fully preserved the existing structures, enhancing the historical significance of the site.

Biodiversity

The primary objective of the park project is to increase the area’s biodiversity, particularly through the extensive and varied water network, which richly intersects the different habitats.
Various types of vegetation and areas (different types of grasslands, wet meadows, areas with hygrophilous and mesophilous forests) ensure highly diverse habitats. The “wet meadows,” small water-covered plains, are environments of great natural and ecological value, now particularly rare in lowland areas and even containing species that have become extinct in the region.
The efficient management of water resources, combined with the creation of new wet ecosystems, goes beyond mere urban drainage: it actually creates new living spaces for rich animal and plant biodiversity. Thanks to this water network, local wildlife has rapidly repopulated, including not only birds associated with aquatic environments but also other bird species, amphibians, fish, molluscs, insects, and small mammals.
Birds, in particular, have fully taken advantage of the opportunities offered by the park: the red poles used to mark forestation areas have become excellent perches and observation points for herons, cormorants, and egrets. Coots and bee-eaters nest in the ponds, and the black-winged stilt is a constant presence.
The gradual realization of the works has allowed for the creation of a continuously evolving landscape, where water, vegetation, and wildlife have found ongoing mutual connections.

Economic factors

The park is designed using innovative nature-based techniques that involve planting schemes, species selection, materials, and the use of renewable energy sources that are both ecologically and economically sustainable.
The study of nature and its components, the ecological network, and the abundant environmental resources has made it possible to imitate natural processes and incorporate them into the design.
Water is a key element, extensively present throughout the park, directly nourishing the plant systems. It is moved using natural factors and processes
(such as groundwater fluctuation and differences in elevation) inspired by long-known techniques traditionally used in lowland agricultural areas.
The planting systems use native species and are carefully differentiated according to specific local conditions to optimize growth and maintenance.
The lawn areas are meticulously categorized, with mowing schedules tailored to their intended use.
The park’s headquarters, located within the park, and the airport’s fence, supplemented by technological systems, ensure proper surveillance.
The presence of numerous activities encourages the constant and organized involvement of the public, who can support the administration in managing the park through participatory processes and by using the spaces designated for associations.
These choices allow for low maintenance and management costs over time.

Climate

The park is a green infrastructure, engineered to provide 360° ecosystem services.
The presence of water and vegetation promotes evapotranspiration processes.
Over time, the extensive forest areas will provide shading, helping to reduce the urban heat island effect.
The park is particularly innovative in its approach to addressing extreme weather events. Vicenza is a city especially prone to flooding. Using a strategic approach — the first in Italy applied to a large urban public park — the park aims to protect a significant portion of the municipal territory from 50 year flood events (see specific video).
The park has also been designed as a large flood retention basin, capable of holding and slowly releasing up to 100.000 cubic meters of water.
Moreover, as a water collection and retention basin, the park enhances groundwater infiltration, functioning as an unusually large “rain garden.”
In terms of responding to climate change and extreme weather events in urban or developed areas, the Parco della Pace serves as an alternative model to purely engineered or mechanized flood retention and control interventions.

Wellbeing of visitors/users

Access to the park is ensured for everyone through various means of transportation, with adequate parking areas available.
The park is integrated into the city’s cycling network.
The internal road system is carefully organized to ensure the highest safety standards based on the type of users.
The section of the former airport runway within the park, along with the squares and airport connection roads, have been fully preserved. The runway is equipped with infrastructure to support large events, and the squares and pathways have been integrated into the park’s network of trails and spaces for different activities.
The park offers areas equipped for sports and relaxation, connected by a network of trails extending over eight kilometres, including main paths, secondary paths, walkways, and crossings over the many canals. This trail network provides differentiated access to areas mainly intended for public use, while the more internal parts of the park are reserved for nature contemplation.
At the park’s main entrance, the primary refreshment and reception facilities (restrooms, food points) are located, and similar amenities are also provided at other park entrances and near the central garden.

The selection, origin and quality of used products and materials (greenery and constructing materials)

The development of the park extensively utilized the recovery of existing buildings, infrastructure, and materials. In particular, during the extensive earth-moving operations, soils and debris were fully recovered on-site, minimizing the need for additional inputs.
Special attention was given to plant supplies, systematically using native species.
The forest supplies, aquatic plants, and seeds were sourced from specialized local nurseries through a dedicated agreement.
Larger trees were selected and cultivated for several years in air-pot containers, facilitated by a specific cultivation contract.
The tree vegetation includes trees arranged in rows, isolated groups, or specific plantings, alongside extensive afforestation works, divided into two categories:
hygrophilous forest (58.000 square meters) and mesophilous forest (67.000 square meters). The forested areas are doubled by zones intended for the spontaneous evolution of the forest. The definition of the forested territories was subject to careful landscape and agroforestry studies, closely linking them to the proximity of water in the substrates, following the soil movements that have taken place and which led to the creation of more or less humid soils. The plantings are marked by large natural chestnut poles with infographics that identify and explain the different areas.
The afforestation areas are interspersed with vast meadows (total area over 360.000 square meters), further divided into various types, including mowed lawns for public enjoyment, tall and flowering meadows, and a large “wild meadow” established adjacent to the military base, where cereal (spelt) was sown.
Of particular value is the creation of wet meadows, established at water level with local aquatic and hygrophilous species, some of which are rare, as such areas have become particularly scarce in the Po Valley and Veneto regions. In total, 62,000 carefully selected aquatic seedlings have been planted within the park.
Regarding the construction of new paths, ecological resin-bound permeable pavements were used for pedestrian paths, vehicle access, and parking areas. The internal secondary paths are simply stabilized.

The overall design (landscape and optional associated buildings)

The park is created from a perfectly flat morphology, typical of the plain and its airport function, and has undergone significant topographical work, involving 240.000 cubic meters of earthmoving, to establish a network of geometrically strong and linear canals and lakes, reminiscent of the rural landscape of Vicenza’s past. This work has transformed a simple flat area into a highly varied landscape, a combination of agricultural and natural environments defined by canals, lakes, wetlands, and vast, lush meadows, many of which are suitable for play and sports. There are wilderness areas (left to the spontaneous development of nature), urban gardens, spaces dedicated to events, and elevations called “mirador,” which offer stunning panoramic views.
The excavations have revealed the geological stratifications of the territory: layers of gravel, clay of different colors, sand beds, and even ancient beaches. With such extensive excavations, as is often the case in Italy, there was an opportunity to discover a Roman workshop and a Neolithic site. All of this has been identified and cataloged.
The intricate network of canals extends over 9 kilometres and, along with basins, lakes, and floodable wetlands covering 70.000 square meters, has also been designed as a protective measure against future floods.
The water is fed by a very shallow aquifer, which, with the help of simple barriers, maintains a constant level, creating small waterfalls and a fountain at the discharge point.
The tree vegetation is characterized not only by specimens forming rows, isolated groups, and plantings but also by extensive afforestation works following the two main types of hygrophilous and mesophilous forests.
The project has also preserved the history of the site; the runway and airport pathways have been maintained and integrated with the network of new trails, providing differentiated access to areas mainly intended for public use, while the more internal parts of the park are reserved for nature and contemplation.
The original airport buildings, located at the main access to the park, have been preserved and restored.
The Central Garden (yet to be built) is located at the center of the Parco della Pace and is designed as a communal and reflective space rich in symbolic and narrative references, a tabula where communal spaces alternate with more intimate, exhibition, recreational, sports, and leisure areas, as well as spaces for visiting and resting.

The impact on the environment (holistic, circular approach)

The park adopts a strong holistic approach aimed at creating a green infrastructure capable of providing 360° ecosystem services.
This approach integrates innovative solutions such as Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) and so-called Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), addressing aspects related to the protection of the territory of the city of Vicenza,
respecting the historical and cultural traditions of the area, significantly increasing biodiversity within an urban context, and ensuring extensive public use aimed particularly at raising awareness about the presence of nature in urban areas and encouraging community participation in their management, without neglecting traditional recreational and cultural functions.
The holistic approach is also reflected in the design methods that have allowed the expertise of engineers, architects, landscape architects, and large park management specialists to converge into a unified and coordinated project strongly oriented towards nature.
The environmental impact is therefore overwhelmingly positive in every aspect, earning the project UNESCO approval and broad public recognition.

The innovation value of the project

In recent years, we have observed and experienced the effects of unprecedented climate change. In the face of such emergencies, the design of green spaces has gained a new dimension. It is no longer sufficient to conceive these areas merely as places for recreation; they must be envisioned as true green infrastructures: vital, appropriately engineered, and capable of providing 360° ecosystem services while integrating innovative solutions to mitigate the detrimental effects of climate change and promote environmental sustainability.
The Parco della Pace was born with this very ambition, transforming the former Dal Molin airport into an “ecological machine” that delivers ecosystem services at both urban and territorial levels. Within it, a new union is formed between engineering, environmental, cultural, social, and aesthetic components.
The solutions adopted for water management, the establishment and growth of forests, the enhancement of biodiversity, and the sustainable management approach, which has been holistic from the project’s initial conception, are particularly innovative at both national and European levels.
The main objective of the new Parco della Pace is to become a paradigm for the park of the future. The strategic and planned imprint of the landscape architect merges with a rigorous engineering approach and a substantial content of great naturalness, characterized here by natural and semi-natural areas, primarily
marked by the strong presence of water. The water areas, in particular, are designed and managed to provide a wide range of ecosystem services, giving rise to an exceptional expanse of ecotones, containers for new habitats and great biodiversity. They facilitate stormwater management, carbon storage, climate regulation, and, not least, social and cultural cohesion: the park aims to be not only a natural oasis but also a meeting point and cultural exchange hub for the community.