URBAN ACTIVISM TORINO ENG

DORA AND CONCRETE

2009-09-07T14:35:00.007+02:00

Since we are really interested in the development of the project ‘’Turin the city of waters’’, that foresees the development of parks along the rivers, in the whole metropolitan area it is natural to be horrified seeing the work shown in the
photo : on Lungo Dora Colletta is being made a concrete casting on the river
b ank whose aim is to make the embankments higher without damaging the
sacred street seat. (see other photos)
We think on the contrary that are the rivers to be sacred. A process of re-naturalization of the river banks is taking place all over the world, while here tere is a process of overbuilding..
It’s sheer madness.
If, like in this case, for safety reasons it is necessary to make a bank higher again, it should be done making a footstep toward the realization of the park and not endangering its quality with a similar ruin.

Since we consider as priority the project for the realization of the river park (even if this will happen within a middle or along term) , we have shown in the scheme below: 1. the intervention in progress of realization, 2- a more careful alternative solution to the future development of the park along the Dora.

ZUCCA ARCHITETTURA AND URBAN ACTIVISM

This statement has been sent out to the principal nets of international organizations, that pay a great attention to the quality of the urban river environment (European River Network and International River)

TURIN CLIMATE SHERWOOD CAMP

2009-09-07T14:32:00.001+02:00

The Turin Climate Sherwood Camp is organized from the Building Site Other Development, a collective of activist university students, to manifest in a pacific and creative way their dissent on the way the G8 University Summit that will take place in Turin from 17th to 19th May, is going to deal with the environmental problem. In this Summit will take part 40 delegates belonging to the university world, only coming from the countries of the G8, that will be involved in a comparison on the themes concerning Sustainability. The university students accuse the summit: - to aspire to represent only a group of very important Universities so that they can become privileged partners of the G8 in a logic of financings hunt ; -to be at a standstill as concerns a definition of environmental sustainability exclusively finalized to the economic growth not recognizing the physical limits of the Planet and the social disparities as concerns the access to the resources; -to have a total faith in the technological and financial solutions for environmental problems, that are often expression of perverse market logics; -to have as objective "the formation decision-makers as exporters of scientific and technological knowledge for the solution of global environmental problems" - In this way they forget the primary task University has in the diffusion of the culture of sustainability and the conscience of a serious environmental problems. The Camp is an echo-camping in the city formed by about one hundred tents with sorted waste collection, three compost-toilets and a garage for bikes. In the kitchen there is a solar oven and dishes are made of tin plate or of ceramics. During the three camping days will be discussed all the principals themes concerning environmentalism and the echo-sustainability in a thematic workshop showing that ecology is a theme that concerns every one and that it must be studied and applied also starting from an echo-camping.

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DO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATORS RIDE THEIR BIKE ?

2009-09-07T14:27:00.004+02:00

On 28th October 2008 we published the post "public Administrators using bicycle" and invited the Mayor of Turin to ride his bike in order to set a good example.

On March 12 we incredulous read in the Stampa: "Blue bikes instead of blue cars. A way to wip the slate clean both to the Palazzo Civico budget - by now bled dry, and to eliminate some cars from the city center and consequently, to lower pollution. (.) an ecological turning point for Chiamparino’s team movements that imitates in that way the example of smaller and more man-sized cities like Modena or Pordenone. And so, within one month, in the courtyard of Palazzo Civico near a less and less large number of blue cars , there will be the "blue bikes" that will be at disposal of the more virtuosos and sports councillors." ( see: Emanuela Minucci, The town councillors ride the blue bikes, in‘’La Stampa’’of March 12th 2009).

It seems to be a good beginning to improve, to increase and above all to legitimate the Turinese possibility to ride a bike. We are happy for this and we want to complimentate.
.....but be careful , starting from today we hope to meet councilors on their bike, with a notebook to record the so many deficiencies in the cycle net!
We will keep an eye on you!

URBAN UNIVERSITY GARDENS

2009-09-07T14:21:00.003+02:00

Numerous and variegated urban gardens are starting in the green spaces of the University Centers in Turin. These gardens are autonomously worked and managed by the students. The functions of the university urban gardens are various: from the self production of vegetables, to the diffusion of the awareness of the food at zero kilometers, to the social and cultural integration among students and the community around them without forgetting some physical activity and relaxation in the open.

The group of Local Action for the Agenda 21 and the Association Nuovi Equilibri is organizing the Workshop University Urban Gardens for the promotion of the gardens and to lay the foundations for a widened university project. The workshop will take place at the university residence of Villa Claretta in Grugliasco on next 16th March starting from 6.00 p.m.

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THE CICLOFFICINA

2009-09-07T14:18:00.004+02:00

The Ciclofficina (garage for bikes) in Turin is an equipped space where it is possible to mend one’s own bicycle at a very low cost , that is usually a little higher than the spares one. All this is possible thanks to one’s personal commitment and the collaboration with others. The repair activity has not a profit, but it allows everybody, also the one who has limited economic resources to have an economic, ecological and reliable means i.e the bicycle.

The Ciclofficina offers courses for the self-repair of inner tubes, setup of brakes and gears, the rolling radius disposal and the balancing of wheels and bicycles repairs. Besides being a meeting and exchange point for the city cyclists it is also a center of promotion and incentive of a sustainable urban mobility through initiatives and a demonstrations of sensitization of the use of the bicycle as a means of transport. The cilcofficina, managed by the association Muovi Equilibri, in this period is housed in the occupied classroom 1M of the Polytechnic in Turin at 71 Boggio street and it is open on Saturdays from 3,00 p.m to 7.00 p.m.

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CRITICAL MAP TORINO

2009-09-07T14:13:00.003+02:00

Critical Map is a project of "participated cyclocartography" constituted by a common platform that allows bicyclists to signal through an interactive map which are the cycle problems of the Italian cities.
The Critical Map in Turin with signallings of new cycle runs, with suggestions of best runs to drive across, zones to be avoided, runs with problems or with works in progress, signals of fountains where to quench one’s thirsty , bicycles sellers and repairers, free wifi...places, is very used by the city bicyclists. Anyway there are both complaints and protests and good news (obviously rare), besides curiosity and posters for a cycle culture. In short all the useful and precious information for the survival on two wheels in the city.
"It is a means to promote an idea of sustainable mobility centered on the bicycle giving a representation of the ideal city, of how it should be to meet our demands of mobility."

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TRAFFIC KILLS TORINO

2009-09-07T13:57:00.011+02:00

Traffic Kills is an echo community that " deals with all the factors that are degrading our environment. It aims to improve the habits of people by means of sustainable changes, creating a critical mass able to direct the human progress toward a sustainable development." Using the Meetup platform on line , the community gets organized in local nets allowing the members to share their ideas turning them into concrete initiatives.

In Turin Traffic Kills has indicated the pedestrian crossing in Piazza Statuto as one of the most dangerous points in the city and on 1st March 2008, about 100 people for 10 minutes have simply crossed the dangerous pedestrian strips stopping and congesting the traffic. Intelligent action, totally ignored by the inhabitants of Turin, but not by the Londoners that, inspired from Turin, have repeated the action on December 6.

But it is thanks the Free bus project that Traffic Kills has been able to attract attention and to get a great victory. In the spring 2008 Traffic Kills organized a series of free bus to connect the principals points of the Turin nightclubbing at Saturdays evening, making partly up for the lack of urban public service during night. The project has been financed by the same night places served by the shuttle , giving that way a sure service of mobility to the young people that have made use of the buses.
The great success of the initiative has led the public Corporate body to activate in a short time the GTT Night Buster, a night public transport service with 10 lines, active at the summer weekends of July and August.
Finally a "good news" also for the activists!
The next aqction of Traffic Kills Turin is foreseen for 14th February 2009.

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PUBBLIC ADMINISTRATORS USING BICYCLE

2008-12-10T18:13:00.001+01:00

Local politicians should give a good example for future mobility

How lucky of you mister Mayor! You are one of the few Torinesi who can go at work by bicycle, only going along cycling tracks! You perfectly know, because you probably have been told by the road network councillor, that most of the citizens that use bicycle as a mean of transport to go to work, are not that lucky and sometimes they do not find not even a small part of a cycling track, putting everyday their life at risk along Turin roads. But you, you live in piazza Vittorio, so you can go along the new downtown cycling tracks to get to Palazzo di Città! Yes, the same tracks that somebody mysteriously wants to close, supported by the local newspaper (see: Emanuela Minucci, Grane ciclabili, in <>, Sunday 19th October 2008).
Obviously the pieces of cycling tracks are not connected among them so it happens that you suddenly find yourself in the middle of the road, maybe in a maze of railway lines, but you will surely find out how to get out of troubles, isnt’it!, as it is taken for granted that a Turinese bicycle rider should do. He/she will also have to be careful at crossroads, because nobody is going to give way, and besides he/she will experience the automobiles dangerous manoeuvres. When the rider will find inevitable cars parked on the cycling track, he/she will have to bravely pass along the road with the risk of being run over by drivers, who often show to be hostile with cyclists. Alternatively he/she will have to jump on the sidewalk, with the risk of getting a fine: traffic wardens most likely will give the cyclist a fine rather than the car parked on the track.
Well, this is surely dangerous and stressful, but what a great example would be? A person like you, desiring for Turin an ecologic and sustainable future, as we all desire! You maybe will infect the other local administrators to use an alternative mean to go to work. Possibly if you started risking your lives everyday, you would design more sensible cycling tracks, secured and connected among them, and hopefully respected by everybody.
I can but wish you a good bicycle ride, giving you the last advice: remember to wear a helmet, we would never like to read on the newspaper La Stampa: <>!

Sincerely,
Strale

TURIN CRITICAL MASS

2008-12-10T18:06:00.001+01:00

Critical Mass is a spontaneous and self-run meeting of thousands of cyclists invading the streets that are usually used by cars, exploiting the strength of the number of participants (mass). If the mass is sufficient (that means critical), non-cyclist traffic is stopped also along big arteries.

This idea was born in San Francisco in 1992 and spread quickly in thousands of cities in at least fourteenth countries, Critical Mass is a clear sign of protest that claims the use of alternative means of transport in order to fight the diffusion of traffic and pollution, and to establish bases for the mobility of the future: ecologic and sustainable future.
In Turin, Critical Mass, is pretty active, always updated and in the first row for fighting in the name of the ciclability of the city. In the last weeks, for example, it has been the only critical voice against the proposal of abolition of the new cycling tracks in downtown. During two days of protest, they have massively invaded those cycling tracks, showing that they should not have to be abolished, but improved and respected, remembering to all detractors that ecologic and sustainable mobility is a sign of civilization more than only common sense.

You can find Turin Critical Mass every first Saturday of the month at 4,00 p.m. and every third Tuesday of the month at 9,00 p.m. in piazza Palazzo di Città.

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THE PORTA NUOVA SEA

2008-12-10T17:56:00.000+01:00

In the next years, Porta Nuova, one of Turin railway stations, will loose its utility due to the new underground train line and will remain out of the train paths because new other stations will born. This way, Porta Nuova stop, with its area of 200.000 square meters occupyed by rails is waiting for new possible uses. According to the official projects the station will be transformed in a shopping center and residential buildings will be built in the actual rails area. In 2006 Maurizio Zucca, a local architect, proposed to use the huge area of Porta Nuova bringing some sea in Turin with a water basin suitable for swimming instead of the abandoned rails and transforming the valuable building of Porta Nuova in a spa, in order to offer hot baths during the long winters. In last years the project was approved by the thousands of Turin inhabitants convened in a support commitee, quite important for all local and national newspapers (and also some international ones), together with radio and publishing houses. It’s a shame that the only ones who are ignoring all this are pubblic administrators, who are not answering to the open letters and are acting as if nothing was happening, making a fool of themselves.

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