Greenways planning in Italy : the Lambro river Valley Greenways System

The greenways movement in Europe developed differently to its counterpart in the USA, influenced by geographical, economic and cultural differences as well as differences in social and urban development. Europe has seen a discontinuous and fragmented process, diversified in the various countries. The explosion of the greenway concept in Europe is a very recent phenomenon: the European Greenways Association and the Italian Greenways Association both date back only as far as 1998. Clearly, before this date the European countries did see a degree of activity both cultural and operational, but it is equally clear that there was a lack of commonality. Specifically, greenway planning in Italy while on the one hand work has been underway on green trails for many years, on the other there is a clear lack of methodology that allows for the planning of a broader network. This paper has two objectives; firstly to define a methodology useful for greenways planning in Italy at regional level, and secondly, to demonstrate the application of this methodology to a case study. The methodology adopted derives from an approach to planning inspired principally by the work of Ian McHarg and Julius Fabos and already applied by the authors to protected areas in Italy. The methodology is structured in four phases: analysis of the landscape resources, the existing green trail and historical route networks; assessment of each element; composite assessment; and definition of the Greenways Plan. A case study for the Lambro River Valley Park is used to illustrate the methodology proposed. The park comprises the municipalities situated along the Lambro River to the north of Milan. This is densely inhabited land and features multiple human activities located within a context conserving residual elements of naturalistic, landscape and historical–cultural interest. The application of the methodology to the Lambro River Valley Park allowed the development of a greenways network incorporating the existing network of green trails: 80% of the network is, in fact, already in place. The methodology also proved to be useful in the definition of a network dedicated to non-motorized traffic capable of connecting the numerous urban centres with the many resources present in the area.