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The term ‘territorial policy’ that
we use in this section is strongly linked to all public or privateinitiatives and tools that
pursue the objectives mentioned above.
We focus on electric power generating plants and
their educational, tourist and
culturalvalue-added. This means
that the files that describe each of the power stations
will include its planning authorities and resources, which
vary widely from plant to plant. As for the authorities,
in some cases there are public players such as municipal
or provincial administrations, and in other cases it
is associations of volunteers and private citizens who
examining the development projects for power plants in
due observance of the law and in accordance with the
requirements of the competent public bodies. |
Different ways of generating
power, various political leanings
There are four hydroelectric power plants (Grosio,
Roncovalgrande, Trezzo on the Adda, and Vigevano). Two
others (Ostiglia and Tavazzano) are thermal plants.
The final two are related by their highly specialised
and innovative technology (the Milan-Bicocca fuel
cell-powered plant and Brescia’s waste
incinerator).
- Without doubt, the policy
for developing the educational,
tourist and cultural values isfocused
on the hydroelectric power plants. This
may be due to several factors.
Firstly, this type of power plant
obviously presupposes the
presence of a river. In
the three cases described – Grosio,
Trezzo on the Adda and Vigevano – there
are major rivers like the Adda
or the Ticino rivers which cross
valleys of great importance, (the
Valtellina, for example). Thanks
to the creation of regional and
national parks, these areas have
been protected for many years.
Many development policies for power
plants situated in areas like these
may therefore stem from the initiatives
of the management companies
that run these parks.
In addition, some of these plants
were designed at
the beginning of 19th century by
the most famous architects
of the day, or have been incorporated
in a context of industrial archaeology that
hasanundoubted
historical value. Roncoval Grande
is a particular case amongst the
hydroelectric power stations. This
plant is newer than the other plants
mentioned above, and is situated
in a rather isolated zone on the
Lombardy side of Lake Maggiore,
on the Swiss border. A number of
rather diversified initiatives,
carried out by Enel in agreement
with the local authorities, have
allowed the plant to become a cultural
and meeting place for
the local community and visitors.
- Issues concerning the thermal
power plants aremore
complex. For many years they have
been using polluting substances for
producing their power, and this
has awakened concerns and negative
attitudes on the part
of public administrations and local
communities. So it is not a good
moment to mention developing the
value-added of these plants. During
the past few years, the thermal
power plants have been
modernized and thus have very
much reduced their negative ecological
impact. Moreover, the
nationalised companies carried
out a number of initiatives designed
to improve ‘transparency’ towards
the outside world, and to improve
their relations with local communities.
These measures range from opening
the power plants to the public
as far as obtaining ecological
certificates to show their compliance
with European Union regulations.
It is important to note that there
is still much to do here: the public
sector and civil society still
harbour a defensive attitude towards
these projects, and suspect that
some information is still concealed.
- Finally, we are going to examine
two highly innovatory power plants.
Even though the Milan-Bicocca fuel
cell-powered plant has designed
by the great architect Vittorio Gregotti,
and is situated in a highly dynamic
area, it is not at the moment the
subject of any particular initiative
to develop its educational,
tourist or cultural aspects.
The Milan-Biccoca University has
taken some steps in this direction,
though these projects are still at
an early stage. On the other hand,
the Brescia waste incinerator
plant presents a particular
issue that is worth highlighting.
As has already happened in the past,
thermal power stations have often
aroused ecological concerns.
In Brescia, the plant’s management
has adopted a defined attitude of collaboration
and transparencytowards
the local community, which
has led to a considerable reduction
in conflicts that could have ended
up in court. Instead, the plant,
having opened itself to public, has
now become quite a popular ‘tourist
spot’: now other public administrations
and private association representatives
want to assess the feasibility
and impact of building similar plants
on their territories.
The
layout of territorial policy files
The above general comments
seek to provide understanding on how
the explanatory files on territorial
policy have been set up. These files
consist of:
- An introductory
note giving
the history and
architectural description
and main characteristics
of the generating
plant;
- A ‘geographic’ description that
seeks to identify
the general ecological
elements that are
important for territorial
policy planning in
connection with each
specific plant;
- A note on the likely presence in
the surroundings
of this plant of
any restrictions
that are important
from a historical,
cultural or ecological
point of view (for
example, an industrial
archaeology system
strongly linked to
the plant’s
presence). These
restrictions contribute
to place the power
plant in a context
of wider interest,
and therefore connecting
to the territorial
policy for developing
the power station;
- A section dedicated
to territorial policy
that pays particular
attention to any
existing policies
that might exist
on the educational,
tourist or cultural
value-added of power
plants.
In a few cases either
the ‘geographic’ sections
or the sections regarding ‘presence’ have
been left out. This does
not necessarily mean
that this information
is not interesting from
the historical, tourist,
landscape or ecological
points of view; however
it might indicate that
these elements have not
been considered important
in the development policy
for these power plants
for the reasons mentioned
above. |
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The Ludovico il Moro hydroelectric power
plant is the focus of a number of initiatives to develop
its educational, tourist and cultural values. Quite
apart from its great value from the architectural point
of view, the plant is located in an extremely rich
environmental, historic and cultural context which includes
both the region of Vigevano and the course of the Ticino river.
Moreover, the plant is part of a complex system of
hydroelectric power plants along the Ticino. Most
of the plant’s added-value development projects are related
to the activities of the Park of Ticino management
and of a company that holds concession rights on the Naviglio
river water: the Consortium for irrigation and reclamation –East
Sesia Irrigation Association.
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Historical Notes
The Ludovico il Moro power plant in Vigevano in province of Pavia is the last
in the series of the hydroelectric power plants network along
the Ticino river : from Porto della Torre in Vizzola, Tornavento,
Upper and Lower Turbigo. The Porto della Torre power station is the only plant
that draws directly from the Ticino river, while the others – including
the Vigevano power plant – are fed by an " industrial canal " which
is a side-canal of the Sforza’s historic Naviglio canal .
The Vigevano station is in fact composed of two plants, one
built in 1906 and the other in 1994 . The
most recent complex is located to side of the older plant in a building that
is entirely underground . Gaetano Moretti designed the oldest
plant in an eclectic style that recalls the neo-renaissance style typical
of many power plants of this period, and the references to the Lombard
architecture are found : from the pointed arches of the engine room
to the façade’s loggia that defines the upper part of the transformer
unit.
This plant’s architectural solution is definitely less innovative
than the design of Trezzo d’ Adda power station , designed by
Moretti around 1906. At Trezzo the architect worked in the closest collaboration
with an engineer responsible for the technical aspects, which did not happen
for the Vigevano power plant. That explains why here the mechanical and hydraulic
facilities are less integrated in its building design. Today, the Ludovico il
Moro power station, together with other plants along the Ticino, constituting
part of the area’s unquestionable historical patrimony and to the river’s
natural resources, is at the centre of a number of environmental, landscape
and cultural protection and added-value development initiatives , being
carried out by both local associations of the Park of Ticino management.
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"Geography" and
territory
Lombardy is one of the most
industrialised regions in Italy, and owes its development
to the presence of hydraulic power . From the beginning
of the 20thth century began the construction of hydroelectric power
plants in order to produce electric power along the Ticino. Previously,
the river area’s economy was mostly agricultural. Even today,
over 50% of the land in the protected Park of
Ticino is for agricultural use, while more than 17% is covered
by forests.
In the well-watered zone agriculture is
highly specialised and technically advanced, based traditionally
on cultivations requiring a great deal of water to be readily available
(for example, rice fields and water meadows). Despite the presence
of intensive cultivation and forests, the landscape is in any case
very man-made: amongst the 46 Communes that make up the Park area
there are many fairly extensive built-up areas with significant
population numbers. Amongst these are the city of Pavia, and important
infrastructure installations like the international airport of
Malpensa.
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Historical Features
The Ludovico il Moro power station forms part of a complex
system of hydroelectric power plants along the Ticino river
. Some of these plants are of excellent architectural value:
the Porto della Torre plant, 1955, is one of the best industrial
buildings designed by Giò Ponti , while the Vizzola
Ticino plant was designed by Giovanni Muzio in 1936 in
the functionalist style .
The reclamation and canalisation of waters in this area
have over many years shaped the landscape, local agriculture
and environment. These works were carried out regularly
already from 13th century by the Cistercians and developed
later by Leonardo da Vinci . The monks also built the complex
of Morimondo Abbey , of great historic and architectural
value.
In Vigevano mention must be made of its
very rich historical legacy, starting from the city with
its Ducal Square, the Cathedral (Dome) and the Sforza
Castle . In the built-up suburbs can be found the Sforza
Villa, dating from Renaissance times, and 18th
century villas built by aristocrats . In the same
area are present a large number of very old flour
mills : some of them have been cited in the manuscripts
of Leonardo da Vinci. Amongst the first working flour mills
are those constructed in Vigevano under the rule of Duke
Galeazzo Visconti, near the Mora ditch. Since 2001 the Low
Mora flour mill has been transformed into an "ecological
museum", thanks to an initiative of the Association
East Irrigation Sesia which holds concession rights over
the waters of the Naviglio , with the aim of rediscovering
the Lomello territory and its complex system of managing,
measuring and distributing riverwater. The building, where
recently an exhibition was set up of engines designed by
da Vinci, also houses a research and conference center. An
educational itinerary-laboratory for the study of traditional
methods of water metering is situated alongside the irrigation
ditch.
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Policies and Projects
for Tourism and Cultural
Added Value
The main initiatives for area protection and development stem from the creation
in 1974 of the Ticino Park. That
is the first regional Park in Italy and it is managed by a consortium of 47 Ticinos
districts and three Provinces (Milan, Pavia and Varese). The Park’s Territorial
Coordination Plan (TCP) of the Park of 1980 envisages a differentiated
policy for protection of the natural, agricultural and city areas. The TCP takes
into account the complex environmental, landscape and cultural Park’s system
that coexists with a densely peopled area where the high level of urbanization
is correlated to the cumbersome presence of the Malpensa airport.
A Park Planning
Scheme is now under consideration, designed to show up the large-scale trends
and to describe natural and cultural resources in the context of a leisure infrastructure
focused on sustainable development. An irrigation and reclamation consortium
(Association East Irrigation Sesia) , holder of concession rights over
Naviglio’s waters, has been carrying out a number of projects to develop
the territory and irrigation network that also include sightseeing
around the hydroelectric power. In 1999, by agreement with the management of
the Ticino Park, ENEL made a cycle
lane along the "industrial canal" service roads: a distance
from Turbigo to Vigevano that allows close contact with environment, hydraulic,
industrial and rural infrastructures. The Park’s management body intends
to continue in this direction with the so-called greenways project:
several existing historic itineraries will be renovated in order to incorporate
natural protection in the development of the historical and cultural aspects,
by enlarging the opportunities for tourism and leisure activities.
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