Fwd: L'Aquila

[Mark Barrett]

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSTvp3Mf9NU&feature=player_embedded

The city of L'Aquila and the region of Abruzzo were hit by an earthquake on
the 6th of April 2009 at 4:15 in the night.
Since then, the city centre has been closed to all residents and left as it
was on that day, covered in piles of ruins and rubbles.
In the meantime, speculation under the name of safety and urgency has boomed
and new housing neighbourhoods have been developed in the suburbs and
peripheries, on land not always acquired by the local authority and for
which the local authority or other levels of government pay good rent to
private owners (among which there is the church). New suburbs built with
construction costs which are higher than those assessed for building on such
difficult places as Venice. More speculation, more bribery.

The city of L'Aquila has been unjustly closed off to his residents also with
the intent to force upon them a passive mentality, where there was nothing
to do but leave the beyond-repair historical centre in the hands of others
and move to the new Berlusconi's style suburbs.

Yesterday, the people of L'Aquila and volunteers from all over Italy (6000
people) forced the police block and entered the city with the sole aim to
clean it up.
This is Italy raising its chin against Berlusconi's false paternalistic
politics, taking charge of their future from the hands of crooked
developers, politicians and government.
Enough!

Elena



 *Elena Besussi*
PhD Researcher and Teaching Assistant

The Bartlett School of Planning
University College London
Wates House
22 Gordon Street
London WC1H 0QB
[t] +44(0)20 76795492
[e] *e.besussi at ucl.ac.uk* <e.besussi at ucl.ac.uk>
[w] *
http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/planning/people/phdprofiles/Besussi_Elena.htm*<http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/planning/people/phdprofiles/Besussi_Elena.htm>

Interested in progressive planning?  Visit *www.pnuk.org.uk*
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