Since August 3rd, many citizens of Reggio Emilia-joined by supporters from other cities-have been maintaining a permanent protest camp and assembly to defend the Bosco Ospizio. This green space is under threat from the city administration and CONAD; their plan is to replace it with yet another supermarket, alongside facilities like a neighborhood library (which already exists) and a community health center-additions used by CONAD and the Municipality to give a positive veneer to the planned concrete sprawl.
This permanent protest did not emerge out of nowhere; for over two years, many people have been actively working to oppose this latest act of environmental destruction-a project of asphalt and concrete that further threatens an area already suffering from rising land consumption and increasingly unbearable temperatures.
In the last month, however, the issue has gained significant media attention.
Bulldozers have been turned back and construction delayed; despite new legal complaints filed by CONAD against those who stood between the machinery and the woods, the struggle has continued with growing strength and participation. Self-serving statements from the Municipality, the local health authority (AUSL), and other citizen groups favoring the project failed to deter the Bosco Ospizio assembly, which has persisted in its protest-doing so peacefully, colorfully, and imaginatively.
The growing number of activists and ordinary citizens involved in the protest-combined with the backing of academics and university students, including climatologist Luca Mercalli (from the University of Modena and Reggio) and other experts and scholars-forced both the municipal administration and CONAD itself to open a dialogue with the activists during the sweltering month of August. This happened-be it noted-only after CONAD filed a second complaint alleging the absurd crime of "private violence" against the participants of the protest. A similar complaint had already been filed last year; on September 2nd, it was dismissed by the Preliminary Investigations Judge (GIP) at the request of the public prosecutor's office itself, which evidently found not even a suspicion of unlawful conduct in the activists' actions. Yet, this speaks volumes about the company's strategy: to achieve its goals, it employs a combination of legal threats and hollow, generic rhetoric devoid of any real commitment.
Indeed, initial talks with the Municipality of Reggio Emilia came to nothing; the administration hid behind its usual mantras-"nothing can be done now" and "sooner or later a decision has to be made." Subsequently, a week ago-following boycott campaigns and leafleting outside their stores-CONAD was forced to yield to demands for a dialogue, something that had never taken place during the preceding two and a half years.
On Friday, August 28th, over 300 people gathered outside City Hall to await the two delegations. From 5:00 PM until late in the evening, the square was filled with speeches, songs, and a spirited atmosphere-along with banners, signs, and colors-as everyone waited for news from the ongoing discussions.
Initially, CONAD took a few days to evaluate the alternative proposals put forward by the Bosco Ospizio assembly. However, we are well aware of how corporations operate: after letting a few days pass to feign consideration, CONAD announced on September 3rd that it would not accept the assembly's proposals and intended to build yet another supermarket right there in Ospizio, on the land that is currently a green space. They did, however, declare themselves willing to fund the "regeneration of another green area at a location to be decided by the Municipality." So, take note: the plan is to eliminate an existing green area without even proposing the creation of a new one of equal size; instead, the aim is to "regenerate" a third site-which, logically speaking, must already exist to be regenerated in the first place. The net result for green space would therefore be negative, with over four hectares lost to the city-and, let us not forget, to the wildlife inhabiting the area-in exchange for essentially nothing.
Or rather, in exchange for the much-discussed library and community health center mentioned earlier. Two points are worth considering here: first, not all the "public" spaces would come at zero cost, contrary to the impression CONAD and the Municipality wish to convey. A significant portion would be leased to the Municipality for tens of thousands of euros annually (those who have seen the paperwork cite a figure of 45,000, though without direct access to the documents, we can only report what has been made public-Author's Note). In short, the Municipality sold the land to CONAD; CONAD then builds on it and leases part of the property back to the Municipality. It is quite a convoluted loop, to say the least, and represents a considerable waste of public funds.
Another point concerns public service policy in general: here we have a local authority that, in order to provide services to the public, is forced to sell off public land at bargain prices and give private entities free rein over construction and investment. And we are talking about the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, not some tiny mountain village of five thousand inhabitants. This once again highlights the utter failure of institutions to ensure the well-being of the citizenry. The dismantling of public services in favor of privatization has been underway for decades; however, in recent years-exacerbated by skyrocketing military spending and the cost of numerous useless infrastructure projects-funding transfers to service-providing bodies have steadily declined. Let us not forget that the money in question comes from the taxes we pay-deducted from our paychecks and pensions-yet instead of being returned to us in the form of services, it goes toward financing wars and fattening corporate coffers.
By leaning into this kind of arrangement, the Municipality is essentially admitting its own inability to provide these services to its citizens. This is not even a true public-private partnership; rather, it involves a company pursuing profit goals while dictating urban planning policy to the Municipality. This situation is facilitated by Emilia-Romagna's regional planning laws, which-under the guise of "simplifying" procedures-actually favor corporate construction projects. Let us not forget that this law was enacted by a PD-led regional administration and is taking effect in a municipality where the PD holds the majority. The Right is not required to prioritize corporate interests over people and the environment.
Ultimately, one significant fact stands out: recent weeks have shown that a movement of people-refusing to see a forest vanish to make way for yet another supermarket-can shake the resolve of those who prioritize profit and capitalist market logic over the environment and the well-being of our communities and cities. It is not a victory. In light of the latest news, this is not yet a victory-not even the beginning of one. But it is a step in the right direction.
We trust that this marks the start of a grassroots, leaderless struggle. Its goal is not merely to save Bosco Ospizio, but to challenge the vision of a city defined by concrete, surveillance, and militarization-a vision championed by politicians and developers. We aim to see citizens take a leading role in urban policy: not by entering the institutions, but through open, permanent, horizontal assemblies and committees.
As we work toward this goal, we stand in support of the Bosco Ospizio committee.
J. Scaltriti
https://umanitanova.org/contro-speculazione-e-cementificazione-bosco-ospizio-di-reggio-emilia-aggiornamenti-e-considerazioni/
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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