The meeting, which was held in the presence of the Prefect Clara Vaccaro, the Deputy Francesco Cannizzaro, the Prosecutor of the Republic Giovanni Bombardieri, the Attorney General at the Court of Appeal Gerardo Dominijanni and the provincial representatives of the police forces, was the opportunity to focus on a regeneration path for the Arghillà districtthe northern outskirts of Reggio Calabria, the subject of various activities in recent years by the municipal administration and other territorial institutions, where difficult situations persist related to illegal construction, the illicit abandonment of waste and other problems of a social and economical.
During the meeting the mayor delivered an extensive dossier on the activities carried out by the local authorities in the neighbourhood, illustrating the critical issues still present today and the planning activities already implemented by the municipal administration. “Arghillà is certainly the most scenically beautiful neighborhood in the city, a real balcony over the Strait – stated the mayor during his report to the table – unfortunately the wrong choices made in the past have in fact produced the re-proposal of a relocated ghetto from the southern area to a neighborhood that was born with very different ambitions and which deserves to recover its residential vocation”.
“In recent years – added the mayor – we have implemented a long series of projects which aim to offer social, cultural and sporting services and places of aggregation, but also services such as health centers and safety facilities, to a complex urban community composed of the vast majority of honest and hard-working citizens. Unfortunately, there is a plague of illegality, which is expressed in abusive occupations and other criminal practices, which risks nullifying these investments, making them ineffective and isolating the community of Arghillà from the growth path of other neighborhoods. It is therefore clear – the mayor further stated – that an integrated and multi-sectoral approach is needed, which brings together all the bodies that have jurisdiction over that territory, both in terms of repression and with regard to the social aspects linked to the development and services. Our idea is to proceed with a gradual relocation of the families who illegally occupy the accommodation, to generate a process of integration and dismantle the ghetto that has been created in recent years, improving services and restoring the neighborhood conditions of decorum and safety that the community deserves”.
“These are situations that certainly exist in all large Italian cities – added the mayor – in the metropolitan areas of the south but not only. I therefore thank the President of the Battilocchio Commission and Deputy Cannizzaro for choosing to focus the Commission's work on this neighborhood We expect that there will be support from the entire Commission for these activities that are underway. Today more than ever it is necessary that the institutions row on the same side so that concrete results can be produced in terms of urban decoration, services, and paths of social redemption. We will welcome the work of the Commission, in the belief that it can be useful to the paths initiated, naturally hoping for an involvement of the community of residents which aims to enhance the positive experiences already present, which must be further nourished and supported”.