TARGETS 

In addition to the critical issues of the old Montecchio Emilia, the main targets of our project are:

- Design a city organic and more usable. The dimensions and the concentration of the urban development is very important. Less space, more density, more services, more countryside. 

- Rebuild the city center like a center and terminal for the main roads and the social functions. With pedestrian and cycling path. 

- Outplacement of the industrial district in the north side of the city. This is the better choice to guarantee a clean air on the city. At the sometime a place well achievable by tram and cars. 

- Rebuild a new river park (Enza’s Park). Like a green filter between the city and the water. 

- Design an urban park of 7,8 ha on the outline of medieval village and castle. 

GENERAL INTRODUCTION 

The new city of Montecchio Emilia it develops on an area of 540 ha (5,4 km²), with a population of 24600 citizens, divided in five districts. 

- First district, is located on the north side of the city, in this part, we can find the main park, or urban park, the main administration building (city hall, library and court) and the bus station. This district is surrounded by two main road, the river park and the industrial district. There are five type of buildings: single houses, 100 m², semidetached houses, 150 m², terraced houses, 100 m², two floors residential building, 250 m² and three floors residential buildings, 250 m². Density is around 70 inh/ha. 

- Second district, is located in the middle of the city, it develops around a road cross. In this district we have a big concentration of commercial and social functions. It is the heart of the city life. There are only two types of buildings: three floors residential buildings, 250 m², and two floors residential buildings, 250 m². Density is high, around 112 inh/ah. 

- Third district is located in lower side of town and contains a mixture of buildings, some services like asylum, elementary school, secondary school, church and library. Some commercial areas on the main avenue and a lot of residential buildings. Typologies are: single houses, 100 m², semidetached houses, 150 m², terraced houses, 100 m², two floors residential building, 250 m² and three floors residential buildings, 250 m². 

- The fourth and the fifth districts are both expansion districts. In these there is a concentration on residential function (mainly single and twin houses). We fought these areas in the south-east part of the town because the land is better. In fifth district is settled the hospital area, that represent a knot for the traffic flow. Instead, in fourth district we can found school campus that contains all high schools. 

- The industrial district is located in the north of the city, for a question of main winds. This is a very important part of the city, with an occupation of the 30% of the territorial area, because Montecchio Emilia has significant industrial development, mainly iron, steel manufacturing and work fields vehicles manufacturing. 

In the first study of the city we discovery the natural and artificial limits. At the west, the Enza creek, forced us to create a city on the riverbanks, slim and long. To the right, the countryside, forced us to think a filter for divided the urban body of the project and the agricultural system. From this little consideration born the form. Analysing the existing grid that detected ancient paths of the city and their sinuous forms. We decided to keep only two roads, the ancient cardo and decumano and from these, create two axis on which build the main functional areas of the project. In fact, the axis N-S have a tram line to serve all the district. On this road we project the socio-commercial areas. The logic is, replace a single knot with a line. Parallel to the W-E axis we have a diagonal on the urban grid. This is the first road for dimension, on this is present a bus line to keep in contact the center with all the nearly town. Great attention for the services on this axis. We tried to project all the principal social functions on this road to simplify the fluxes. From the cross of these two roads, we developed the urban grid, that dissolves as it approaches the countryside. 

THE ROADS SYSTEM 

There are eight different types of roads: bypass, a ring that hugs all the urban form from the south bridge to the north. Is an expressway (90 km/h); external connecting road, to connect the city to the nearly town. More linear and more accessible than the existent (70 km/h); vertical Avenue, for cross the city in vertical way by cars and tram. (50 km/h); main Urban Avenue, horizontal connections between the centre and external roads, used by cars and buses (50 km/h); district road, internal roads (30 km/h); one way road, the roads of the city centre (15 km/h). These roads are project taking to regard: the connection of different type of services and know; the possibility to go with the bike or walking in every point of the city; the car flux on the external roads; give a complex system of public transport.

THE DISTRICTS 

Town division in six districts begins from the historic axis that run from South to North sides and from other three horizontal axis. Territorial density is proportionate according to the position of district and to the presence of services. Every districts have services like library, cultural centre, museum, churches; instruction buildings, parking, urban parks and sportive centre, all of them according to urban standards.

TYPE OF BUILDING 

There are some type of buildings: single house 10x10 meters. Developed on one floor, we consider to place 3 people in these units; semidetached house 15x10x6 meters. Developed on two floors, we consider to place 8 people in these units; terraced house 10x10x6 meters. Developed on two floors, we consider to place 6 people on these units; residential building 25x10x10 meters. Developed on three floors, we consider to place 22 people on them; mixed building 25x10x10 meters. Developed on two floors, we consider to place 15 people on them. 

Instruction 

We respected the standard of 4,5 m² for inhabitant of instruction services. The system of instruction is based on three levels. At the first, the big high school on the east side of the city. We decided to place the school nearly the eastern limit to guarantee a simply connection with the big flux of students from the nearly town. In the second level there are three medium school, one in the north, one in the center and one in the south. This, to guarantee a simply access to the students that in this age start to go alone to the roads. The last level is the elementary and secondary school. We place two of these in every district to guarantee shorter time and shorter distances. 

Cultural and social functions 

According to the standard of 2 m² for inhabitant we place the cultural functions, like the city hall, the library and the theatre nearly the public central park. In the same time on all the principal axis an inhabitant can find the social and commercial function. The system in to create a line and not a pole. 

The hospital 

Today Montecchio Emilia have one of the five hospital of the USL of the Reggio Emilia province. To the numbers, the area covered by this service is so big, from the hills to the Mantova province, but with a big problem of dimension and technical spaces. We decided to create a new building bigger and better, to serve all the inhabitants of the city and from the nearly towns. The hospital is located in a green public area, have a big extension, but only on 3 floor, to create a little filter to the view. 

Sport and ricreative space 

In the city there are three sport spaces. The first is in the north part of the river park. On the principal streets of that area. The connections to the Emilia way are grat. The second park in in the south part of the park. These park give an end to the river park. We try to create two heads and two poles of interest. The third park is in the east part of the city. To satisfy the great number of inhabitants of this area.

GREEN SYSTEM 

Enza river park 

This park is a strong remake of the existent. We decided to make a filter between the creek and the city for all the extension of the city area. In the park there are two type of path, walking and cycling. Every 200 meters there are places and green areas. The green area is so big, is impossible to project all of this. In fact, we decided to divided the green area in four parts: fallow area, is an area on the riverbanks, bushy and inaccessible. It represent a security and visual limit to the people. We left these type of area in the larger parts of the park; artificial woods, are nearly the places and the pedestrian paths; artificial places, on the principal crossroad, with a regular alternation with the grass, we placed some places. This system can guarantee to every district a park on the riverside and a place di make some public event; the grass or open green, to connect all the type of spaces in the park. In our imagination, the park in not only a place to live in the hot Sunday, but in a place to the fit, the sports, the cultural events or simply to relax. 

Plants and related 

All the plants of the project are native of this area. In the Enza Park we can find some type of bush like brambles, blackberries, wild strawberries or razze. In the Urban Park, there are: Maple; Chestnut tree; Poplar; Magnolia. There are some areas to the fruit plants like: apricot, peach and cherries. The different elevation of the trees and the different annual evolution give to this park a form and a colour different from the four prospects.