a proposal for the constitution of a river park in volla ... · 180 lhc.si{.yt(iitl~lble(‘itj /1...

A proposal for the constitution of a river parkin Volla (Naples, Italy)

M. RasuloDepartment of Civil Engineering,

University of Naples “Federico II”, ItaZy.

Abstract

This studyrepresentsan alternativeto the newGeneralCommunalPlan forNaples(editedin 1999),whichplans thecreationof a naturalpark in Naples’orientalarea;the practicabilityof this plan is in doubt,while a natural river park could be easi-ly instituteda little above,in the territoryof VollaMunicipality,

Vollaplain, a strip of plain sitedbetweenNaples and Vesuvius,was in the pastploughedby the waters of river Sebetoand by many other watercourses;it pre-sentedall the typical aspectsof a swamp,and especiallya great floral and faunalrichness and variety.After reclaimingoperationsperformedover centuries it hascompletelylost its originalaspect,mostlyin the last 50years,becauseof the quickand absurdurbanizationof the orientalNeapolitanhinterland,the partial industri-alizationof traditionallyrural landsand most of all because of huge waterextrac-tion fromthe subterraneansourcesandaquiferswhichfed the watercoursesof theplain.

Neverthelessthe site still keepsmanyelementsof an environmentaland cultur-al value that wouldbe worth preservingand improvingfor a sustainabledevelop-ment of the area: typical cultures(vegetables),traditionaland historicalbuildings(mostlyfarmhousesbut alsosomeremarkablemonuments)and watercourses(fourin total).

This proposal provides for the promotion and the exploitation of the areabeyond the sustainabledevelopmentprinciples,with the creationof a park alongthe still existing water courses and the reintroductionof the original flora andfauna,the restorationof the historicaland traditionalbuildings used for receptive,tourist and recreationalactivities, and the improvementof the local productiveactivitiesintroducingmarkets,fairs andvillage feasts.

© 2002 WIT Press, Ashurst Lodge, Southampton, SO40 7AA, UK. All rights reserved.Web: www.witpress.com Email [email protected] from: The Sustainable City II, CA Brebbia, JF Martin-Duque & LC Wadhwa (Editors).ISBN 1-85312-917-8

180 lhc .Si{.Yt(iitl~lble( ‘itj /1

Introduction

In January 1999 Naples’ Municipality, Living Department, Urban PlanningService, publishedthe variant to the Communal GeneralPlan for the historicalcentre, and for the oriental and north-oriental areas [1]. This, together with thevariant to the CommunalGeneralPlan for the occidentalare%coversthe wholecommunal territo~, actuallyrepresenting the new Communal Genml Plau forNaples aft= the 1972one. In this plan a wide spaceis reservedto new-institutionparks. In a citywhere, fromthe ‘50s,the communalttitoq has beenthoroughlyurbanized and built, mainly abusively,and wherethere is an almost total lack ofgreen spaces, to plan such wide parks to break the continuity of the buildingsrepresentsa vw positivesign towardsa betterqualityof life in the city.

Among the new-institutionparks planned by the Municipality,there is also“Sebeto’spark”, a park to be sited in the orimtal area of the city, in a zonetraditionally swampy but completely twisted by the Neapolitan industrialdevelopment and by its expansion, where once river Sebeto flew. This studywants to be in someway a “variantof the variaut”, as it proposethe creation of ariver park northern of the area considered by Naples’ Municipality, in theterritory of Volla’s commune, where the clear waters of Sebeto’s source stillspring.

Actually from the hydraulic studies made to veri~ the practicability of theplan [2], results tha~ becauseof the imminentcomingin operationof somesewerinstallations, what is still hWing of river Sebetois inevitablydestined to end itscourse in this installations,and so there won’tbe anymorewaterbelowthis point;thexeforea “Sebeto’spark”, a river park can onlybe planned abovethis point.

What is proposedin this study,thea, is an environmentalre-qualificationof awide area in Volla commune’sterritory, being not only the creation of a “greenlung” for man, wherehe could go to walk and to relax fw fromthe stressing andpolluting elenxmtsof the ci~ even if not getting too far iiom the city itselg butalso and most of all the re-constitutionof an mosystemby now destroyed, re-populating it with plants and aaimals disappeared.In fact a swamptraditionallyconstitutedthis area and today,even if it has lost most of its ~ical peculiarities,still preservessome valuable elements,both from a cultural and tlom a naturalpoint of view,which with this proposalcouldbe opportunelyoptimised.

Moreovw wetlands are extremely various and diversified environments,among the richest of living form in our planet, both from a quantity and from aquality aspect; but they are also extremely ftagile environments, sensitive toeverykind of disturbingelementfromthe outside,and so they arenowadaysveryrare, most of all in the industrialized countries, where they have been greatlyexploitedfor severalpurposes,to conquerwider soils to agriculture, for huntingand fishing, or as a source of materials and energy for the industry. As aconsequencein Europe,whereanthropizationis very extendedand all the land isdenselyused, and where moreoverhunt has a long tradition, intact wetlands areimpossibleto find. Until the beginningsof 20th centurywetlandsin Europe werestill v- vast territory’s portions, but it’s calculated that in the last fifty years


TIIe Sustainable City 11 181

almost half of the wetlands has been destroyed to leave place to metropolitanareas [3],

For these reasons in Europewetlands,particularly as wild birds habitats, areprotectedby Communitarian laws and by international treats, particularly by the1971 Rmnsar Convention (signed also by Italy in 1976) and by CEE directives79/409 e 92/43,

Figure 1:Naples’Municipalityvariantto the CommunalGeneralPlan for theOrientalarea in back the new-institutionparks [1]


Figure 2: The geographicalcontextof Volla plain.

Territorial ambit of the study

Volla plain is a strip of land sited east to the city of Naples. Historically it hasalwaw beencharacterizedbythe presenceof a great quantityofwat~, both in theform of water sources and aubttamtnean water flows and rivers, Manysubttxmmeanwater courses, as a matter of fact, gushed out in this plain, whichwas enlivenedalso by the floodscoming down along the slopesof the Vesiuviusand of SommaMountain and by the numerous ditches and channels dug duringthe centuriesby the work of man,

Among the sources which entiched the plain, the most itnportaat was theVolla (or the Bolls), which named the whole area: it t%rnishedpotable and sweetwater whichhas suppliedthe cityof Napleswith water forabouttwo millenniumsby the means of the homonymousaqueduct.Neverthelessnot all the water of thesourcewas canalisedtowardthe aqueduct:a significantshareof it was let flowingthrough the plain where, together with many others, it generated sevaal water


The ,Swstaitwble City [1 183

courses, the main of which was Sebetoriver [4, 5, 6]. Therefore the area hasalways presented the characters of a swamp, and this was the raw why itrepresented the natural easternborderfor the expansionof the city of Naples forcmturies: until fifly years ago Volla plain was scarcelypopulated; there were alot of inhabitedcentresbut all of little entity mostlytheyweresettlings grownupalong the main roads, aboutthe main restingplacesor aroundthe main farms [5].

Despite its fiune of an unhealthy and unwholesomeplacq it was a highlyproductive and remunerative area. For ccnturieathe wealthiest classes, mightyfeudatoriea or rich monastic orders, which rented them to the farmers, havepossessed these lands. The productiveactiviti~ dealt here for ctmturicswere flaxand hemp macxmtion, vegetables cultivation and milling: water richaesssupported these very remunemtive activitim the main of which was flourproduction. Besides, in the 19ti ceutury Volla plain was a royal hunt area:Ferdinand Bourbonthe 2°dhad here one of his hunt rexrves thanks to the greatquantity and varietyofwildlifethat the swampsheltered.

Claiming operations in VolIa plain have been carried out at diffmmt timebetween the 13* aud the 20* century, finauced by the several monarchs whichsucceeded one another to the goverammt of the Neapolitan reign (Angioins,Aragoneses, Spanish vi=oy and Bourbons),but most of all carried out by thepatient work of the plain’s inhabitants, which canalised the waters diggingchannels fbr the waters flowing and the fields irrigation. Nevertheless theclaiming operationsonly mded at the beginning20* century [8, 9, 10, 11].

Degradation and development possibilities of the area

During the years Volla plain was subjectto considtxablealterations,both natural(mainly floods and volcanic txuptions) and human; the swamp has beenprogressivelyclaimed during the ceaturies,with inhabitedcentrc.spro easive4y

%!developingin the claimed areas. Particularlyat the beginning of the 19 centuryit became the natural outlet for the expansion of the city of Naples. Moreoverwith the demographic and industrial developmentof the city after the SecondWorld War, the orieatal area has become also the seat for many industrialsettlings, which have completelypervextedand Ix&ted its original characters.Nevertheless the northern part of the plain, pressed betwem the centres ofPonticelli and Casalnuovo,has preserveda rural character, and the vegetables,cultivatedhere for centuriescontinueto be cultivated.

Figure 3: A viewof Vollaplain with the Veawius on the backgroundwhere itcan be seenhow it has premrvedits rural character.


The water of the plain, so abundant before, has beim pumped up both fordomestic and for industrial porposiss,beginning to lower; the great amount ofpumpedwater made the sourcesdryup or subside,contributingto the loweringofthe soil; the river, loosing most of its natural sources, is now fundamentally adraining channel for wastewaters.

Nevertheless something has been preserved of the many original channels,mostlyin the notiern part ofthe plain, which still keepan agriculturalcharacter:there are still Volla river and three channels (Royal,Cozzoneand Azure). Theyare considerablypolluted because they are the natural destination for all thewastewaters of the inhabited centm and of the cultivated land, It exists adepurator on the Cozzone, but it doesn’t work. But this situation is notirremediable:a newsewersystemis beingbuilt near the channelsto collectall thewastewaters and deliverthem to a newdepurator,partially alreadyworking [12].

Volla source has not dried up, but the wattx it fin-nishesis not drinkableanymore because it’s too calcareous:part of it is canaIised for industrial andauxiliaries uses. Very easily its waters could be used to enliven again andcompletelythe fewstill existingchannels. It’s obviousthat after all the claimingoperationscarried out during the centurieswith a very high waste of energies totransform the unwholesomeswamp in a always more fertile land, it would beinsane to re-establishthe situationjust the same as it was in the past, but it’s notexcluded that in the fbture, giving water again to the channels, it would bepossibleto restockthe plain with a great richness of wildlife.

Besidesthe fewwatercoursesalreadymentioned,Vollaplain still preservesina state of great degradation or of completeruin numerous prestigious buildingsthat wouldbe worth restoring.

Where Volla source gushed out in the 16thctmtarywas buiit a construction,named Watti House,in which a marbledistributiondevicewas located to dividethe source’swaters between the aqueduct and the swamp; the majcx of Napleswas the only one to own the keys of this building, but it was subjectby a lot ofencroachmentsby the plain’s fhrmersand millers who claimed more water. Thefirst news about Casino Patrizi, afterwardsbecomea royal shooting lodge, andstill existing, date back to the 18ti century. Thwe are also many 19thand even18th-centuryfarms, with a consid~able architectonicalquality, and finally someof the numerous mills once existing, even if they have beenhighly modified andadaptedto differentuses.

All these buildings are in a very poor state: they are completelyempty andabandoned,or they have been integrated to transform them in houses without arestoringprojector eventhe simplestmaintenance.

The projective proposal of the river park

Whereit has not been run over and wiped out by the edification,the agriculturalarea has prmmwd a great morphological homogaeity and some prestigiouscharactersthat wouldbe worth exploiting,emphasizingandpromoting. There arestill naturalistic elementswith mviromnentalvalues,suchas the Volla sourceandthe few channels (even if defiled), architectonicalelements with historical and


The Sustait7ub[e City 11 185

architectonicvalues (eveu if abandoned and ruined), productive elements withtypical and traditionalvalues, such as the secularvegetableproduction,

Figure4: The existingand under-constructionsewersystemsin Vollaplain

All these elementsshould be improvedand increased,not onlywith an operationof environmentalhealing in order to guaranteetheir protection,but also with an


~86 The Sustainable Cip 11

of the plain’s territory, but a real natural oasis will be created,being visited andlived by man, and so capableof creating an immediatepositive influenceon thelocal inhabitants.

In fact the park won’t be just a natural zonG but essentially a tourist,recreation, receptive,and as a consequenceproductivezone. Onlyguarantyinganadequate economicincome the park can be hoped to work. So the park must belived both by the localpopulationand by the visitors thanks to severalproductiveplants and fimctions compatiblewith its nature and with a low environmentalimpact.

First of all the park will be visited by the means of three kinds of routes:pedestrian, cyclingand horsepaths. Theywon’tbe separateftom one another,butcontiguous and connecting;they will so constitutea real equippedcircuit, insidewhich several services will be locat@ such as resting areas, picnic lodges,benches et cetera. In the main junction along the paths there will be snack-barswith toilet.tes,shops selling typicallocalproducts,naturalisticmaterial and touristguides, and also points to rent and to depositbicyclesand to makehorses rest, Inone of the f- houses there will be a stablewith horse-riding instructorsfor therent ofhorsea, horscwklinglessonsand horse-ridingescorts.

Figure 5: Masterplan of the projectedproposal


The Sustai)labie city II 187

operation of integratedconservationto guarantee the social and the economicalraising of this area and of its population.

This proposalplans first of all the getting in iimction of the sewer channelsalready planned by the Municipality so that the waste water won’t defile thenatural channels anymorebut will be properlydelivered,and then the restitutionof the water to the natural channels, letting flow the source’s water in themwithout conductingthem artificially.

Along the water channels somerespect-areasare planned, with the width of150mt p= shore (as prescribedfor environmentallyrelevantwatercoursesby the“Galasso law” n0431/1985)where new constructing will be strictly prohibited.These areaswill constitutea greenbelt, recoveringthe original natural habitat.

The vegetalessencesto plant won’tbe casual, but opportunelychosen amongthe onti which ancientlypopulatedthe plain; moreover,as in nature disorderandvariety prevail on order and monotony,to re-naturalize these green belts will bechosen many different species, alternated to one anothw; Iinally, as along thenatural water coursesvegetationis disposedin differenttopologiesdepending onthe proximity with water (dividedin aquatic,herbaceous,shrubbyand arboreouswhile proceeding towards the extern), the vegetal re-populationwill follow thesame scheme.So the followingessencesare proposed:among the aquatic plantsthe water lentil, the water ranunculus, the water lily and others (alismataceae,ranunculaceae, meniantaceae and nymphaceae); amongthe herbaceousthe calla,the yellow iris, the false nettle, the snapdragon and many others (crocipherae,compsitae, lyliaceae, malvaceae, ranunculaceae, iridaceae, araceae, ericaceae,lentibulariaceae, scrojidariaceae, labiatae, borraginaceae, litraceae, rubiaceae,enoteraceae, geraniaceae, ombrelh~erae, leguminosae); among the typicalhydrophilic plants reeds and rushes (bu/omaceae and typhaceae); among theshrubbyall the speciesof willows,aspensand poplars (populus and sahk); amongthe arboreous various species of alders (abws glutinosa and alnus rubra), ofeucalyptus (eucalyptus dalrympleana and eucalyptus pauczjlora) and of pines(pinuspinea, pinuspinaster andpinus halepensis).

Plants will be used also to consolidatethe channels shores; in fact, whaenecessary, to reinforce them some intervention with the environmentalengineeringtechniqum will be made. Whtxe, inside the respect-areas,the land isdensely cultivatedor constructed,the current uses destinations will be kept, butthe construction of new buildings will be as well prohibited. Inside the respect-areas of courseeverykind ofhunting and fishingwill be strictlyprohibited,whilepublic will be allowedto visit the parlq with a series of other collateral activitiesthat will be analysedin the followingparagraphs.

Another essentialstep for the zone’sre-naturalization,immediatelyfollowingthe vegetal re-population,is of coursethe zone’s re-populationwith the ancientanimal species.Amongthese, ichthyicspeciessuch as eels,trout, carps,pikes andtenches; amphibioussuch as flogs (whichare still verynumerousin the area) andtoads; mannnalians such as otters, hedgehogs,hares, moles, bats and foxes; andmost of all birds, both nesting and passing, of many kinds: passerlj$ormes,ansertjormes, gruijormes, ciconilformes, galll~ormes, strigforrnes, falcon lformes.In this waynot onlywill the natural habitatre-introduced,evenif in a limited area


It must be also consideredthat rural areas, even if partially modified in thelast fiftyyearsby the industrializationand modernizationprocesses,stiIl preservelocal pexxdiwitiesable to stir up curiosity,charm and fascination on the urbanpublic: the rural tourism, discovay of the latest years, could be a way toguaranteethe economicalraising ofthis area.Sothis proposalplans to restore theancient farm houses,restructuringthem and adjustingthem to modernstandards,in order to use them for agricultural tourism; in this way a doubleprofit will bereached: it will be createda productiveactivitywith a low environmentalimpactand it will be restoredprestigiousbuildings that, abandonedto their own destinyand without a ihnction wouldirremediablyruin. Moreover,the main fkmhouses,with widecourtyards,will be exploitedto ptiorm in the open in the summertime,for folldoristicshowsand for vmts of typical localproducts.

Another fimdanmtal point, in fact, is to support the local agriculturalproduction, to be promoted by the sale of typical agricultural products to thetourists inside the park and bythe creationof paiodical markets and ftirs.

In conclusion,this proposalis believedto be a valid waynot only to reach anenvironmental requalification of Volla’s ar% but also to improve and topromote the economical, social and cultural development of the wholecommunity.

References

[1] Comune di Napoli, Assessorato alla vivibilit~ Servizio pianificazioneurbanistic% Variance cd P.R. G. Centro storico, zoruz orientale, zona nord-occidentale. Gennaio, 1999.

[2] Rasulo,G. (a curs di), 11sistema fognorio dells cittd di Napoli cdle soglie del2000.calorik 2000!

[3]Lethier, H., La convention de Rmsar. Un riseau international de zoneshumides, pamphletby the Frenchnatural regionalpare federation.

[4] Monticello,T., Memoria sulk origine delle ocque del Sebeto, TipograflaCataneo,Fernandese comp.,Napoli, 1830.

[5] Soprintendenzaarchivisticaperla Campani&La cittti d ‘acque. La storia dellewque a Napoii nei docwnenti dell ‘Archivio rnunicipale, Napoli, 1994/1995.

[6]Mancini,G.,Sepeithos.Misterioso Sebeto, Associazioneil quartierePonticelli,Ponticelli, 1989.

[7] De Set& C., I cas(zii di Napoli. Le citki nella storia d~talia, Laterz&Napoliand Bari, 1984.

[8] Maiuri,A., Del bonij?camento dellepaludi di Napoli. Napoli, 1858.[9] Martini, G.G., Monografia sulk bonl~ca delle paludi di Napoli, Volla e

contw-ni. Napoli, 1925.[10] Ciasc&R, Storia del[e bon@ke del Regno di Napoli, Laterzq Bari, 1928.[11] Fiengo, G., 1 Regi Lagni e la bonijica dells Campagna Felix dwwte il

viceregno spagnolo, Leo S. Olschki,Firenze, 1988,[12] Viparelli, G., Zntervento di recupero ambientale delh piana di Voiia

Progetto definitive, planner’s relation, Consorziodi Bonificadelle Paludi diNapoli e Voll%Napoli, 1997.


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