Genova - Polcevera

Park Associati’s proposal for the competition launched by the Municipality of Genoa for the regeneration and enhancement of the central area of Val Polcevera, reconnects a natural, social and architectural territory that was strongly jeopardised by its historical evolution and by the collapse of the Morandi bridge in 2018. Listening to the community involved, giving due importance to memory when building a resilient, safe environment and considering the aspects of sustainability, are the stages of a process that aims to revive the relationship between the natural landscape and the community.

The masterplan focuses on a connection system that, running perpendicular to the river's axis, forms a large public park that in some sections develops under the railway and in others above the stream.

The plate envisaged by the project accommodates the large Parco del Ponte, comprising an urban food garden with fruit trees and vines, urban gardens, wooded areas, play and relaxation areas, as well as large free multifunctional spaces for artistic events, meetings and sports. The burying of high-traffic roads below ground level restores a more direct relationship between this area and the town, turning it into an equipped public space.

A sequence of connecting areas developing along the new axis houses public and general interest services: the technology park, a public and commercial building, the market square with co-working areas, the hostel, the nursery and the creative areas, all the way up to the residences.

The masterplan's energy sustainability is ensured through the design of totally carbon-free buildings, while a system for the collection and redistribution of rainwater guarantees the irrigation of crops and protects them from the damage of sudden flooding of the river that is currently forced to flow between concrete reinforced banks.

Through the reuniting of past and present, an entire community can be reconnected to its own identity — mirrored in the development of its territory — and actively collaborate in planning its future.

The integrated and collaborative work of all members of the group has been crucial to realize an innovative and high-quality project.

Park Associati (urban planning architect, group leader), Coprat (energy and plant-engineering strategies and sustainability), Base (landscape architect), Studio Associato Delucchi e Maldotti (expert in geology), Stefano Fioravanzo (expert in agronomy), Smart Land (expert in cost control), Nicola Lunardi (local architect), Patrick Tuttofuoco (artist), Andrea Mariotto (expert in participatory processes), TRT Trasporto e Territorio (experts in mobility, infrastructure and transport), Signorelli Evaso Moncalvo Ingegneri Associati (expert in hydraulic engineering).