Arezzo defines the actions of the LIFE GreenMe5 project through a citizen participation project

The participatory process allowed to share and define intervention actions with the city for each area of the Green City Agreement.

The municipality of Arezzo is among the first cities in Italy to join the Green City Agreement (GCA) in 2021, a political pact to make European cities greener, cleaner and healthier, committing to address five major environmental challenges, linked to five main themes, air, water, nature and biodiversity, waste and circular economy, noise.

The closing meeting of the participatory process aimed to define the action plan for the Green City 2030 within the European Green City Accord (GCA) initiative and the European LIFE GreenMe5 project, of which the Municipality of Arezzo is a beneficiary partner.

The participatory process allowed to share and define with the city intervention actions for each area of the Green City Agreement: Air Quality, Clean and Protected Water, Biodiversity, Parks and Green Areas, Noise and Circular Economy. During the meeting, the activities carried out and the results of the stages of the process were presented: the kick-off meeting on 3 April provided all participants with basic information, also contained in an introductory document, and was measured in an initial brainstorming on the current and/or perceived critical issues and the actions to be implemented accordingly.

From April to June, six thematic meetings dedicated to air quality and noise, nature and biodiversity and water, and finally waste and circular economy were held, during which cognitive analyses and proposals were deepened and a total of almost 40 actions . to improve environmental quality in Arezzo were discussed.

This is a precious nucleus of proposals explained and tested according to the preferences of the participants, and from which the City Council will be able to start elaborating a Municipal Action Plan.

Present at the meeting were representatives of the main public bodies and research institutes dealing with various forms of environmental issues, some representatives from the world of education, various associations (including WWF, Legambiente and Fiab), companies, the self-employed and ordinary citizens.

‘A participatory work that shows how the involvement of citizens is important for issues related to development and environmental sustainability, and from which interesting proposals have emerged to implement binding projects and actions for the territory. I thank the offices that worked with commitment and professionalism to create this path and all those who gave their contribution’, declared councillor Marco Sacchetti.