The day after the closure of the tender competition for the first phase of construction, the citizens of Calenzano, near Florence, could attend the presentation of the final design for the new Carpugnane Park. Among the guests were the Mayor Riccardo Prestini, Deputy Mayor Alberto Giusti, the designers Giulio Tona of Hydea and Lorenzo Vallerini of ArchLand, and Carlo Scoccianti of WWF.
The first phase concerns the reconfiguration of the current laminating basin, serving both as a hydraulic regulation feature and a naturalistic area characterized by a series of wetlands that will serve as a new resting point for migratory birds. Additionally, two footbridges over the Chiosina stream will be constructed to establish two of the main access routes to the park.
The second phase, starting immediately after the first, will encompass the installation of infrastructure, including lighting systems, video surveillance, sewage facilities, and drinking water supply. It will also involve the creation of new parking lots at the entrances, the construction of three birdwatching observatories, the development of a new pedestrian and cycling network, the planting of trees and shrubs, and the construction of two equipped kiosks. The new 32-hectare green area will contribute to mitigating urban temperatures and CO2 emissions, providing the community with over 2 kilometers of illuminated pedestrian and cycling paths, all equipped with restrooms and video surveillance systems.
As explained by Giulio Tona, a forestry engineer of Hydea, the hydraulic functionality of the diversion expansion basin will be preserved to safeguard the territory from flood events, also ensuring the elimination of the flooding phenomena currently present at the ford.