GREEN KILOMETER | Ghisellini Architetti

The project, a truly unique case in the Italian context, creates a unique urban space that is both inclusive and safe, a protected yet permeable place where the community can nurture a shared sense of belonging.

A network of smooth pedestrian paths weaves through the previously uninhabited basin, generating a vibrant and dynamic movement plot, a circulatory system of "trails" enabling passage in all directions. These walkways spiral into looping circuits that carve out a constellation of bubble-like surfaces on the ground. Within these defined areas, various facilities support play, leisure, physical activity, relaxation, and overall personal well-being.

Inside the park, visitors will find table tennis spots, stations for checkers and chess, an open-air gym for strength training, a beach volleyball and foot-tennis court, sun loungers facing south, hammocks for shaded relaxation, circular seating around special trees, linear benches for observing and conversing, sand courts with majolica surfaces for bocce, grassy hills for gentle climbing or rest, outdoor lounges with armchairs, tables, and colorful metal parasols, soft-looking poufs made of pigmented high-performance concrete, a circular plaza for public events, and a small forest of metal stems designed to support sunshade sails and sparkling lights.

Natural materials and grass-covered surfaces make the park a living, breathing space. Among green plains and hills, over 300 trees and shrubs create a striking artificial landscape where native and non-native species form a strategic alliance, mutually protecting each other against climate change. Among these is a special tree: a black alder, planted in memory of a worthy citizen of Mulazzano who throughout his life cared for the municipality's green spaces without ever asking for any remuneration, therefore completely voluntary.

The park’s permeable paths and equipped areas help recharge the underground aquifers with rainwater. All irrigation water for the trees is drawn directly from underground via a water-extraction well, eliminating the use of potable water. A surface retention basin collects excess rainwater during heavy downpours, protecting the natural gravel paths from waterlogging while allowing gradual infiltration back into the ground.

Smart lighting detects the presence of visitors and adjusts brightness accordingly, optimizing energy use and eliminating waste.

Green Kilometer is thus conceived as a multi-level planning tool: an environmental infrastructure for climate resilience, an urban and territorial welfare system, a catalyst for social regeneration and inclusion, and a lever for public health and collective well-being.