The project of the Baronio Park concerns the construction of a a 17 hectares public park, a hub of activity and life in the neighbourhood which determines a link with the surrounding urban surface. The project treats the park as an operative piece of city-making, where ecology, mobility, and public life reinforce one another rather than compete.
Gardens as Everyday Infrastructure
Environmental quality is the project’s primary driver, pursued through an integrated approach to urban design, open-space structure, and a legible network of roads, cycle lanes, and pedestrian connections. Instead of erasing what was already there, the plan preserves a constellation of pre-existing gardens, over two hundred cultivated plots, strategically concentrated near the park’s main entrances. These varied green rooms respond to everyday needs, offering spaces for movement, encounter and play, alongside quieter, more sheltered areas designed for low-noise use.
Within this framework, a “circle” of cycle and pedestrian paths “innervates” the park, turning circulation into spatial infrastructure. By connecting directly to the existing urban network, these routes organize new urbanizations and re-anchor them to the historic center—making accessibility the armature that supports both daily routines and long-term resilience.
Flood Prevention Through Storage and Delay
At the park’s core, an artificial lake becomes the primary spatial device, positioning water not as ornament but as readable urban infrastructure. The basin operates as a temporary detention system for flood prevention and is directly connected to the underlying aquifer, effectively creating a functional overflow mechanism on both sides. When groundwater levels rise, the lake can accommodate substantial volumes; during intense rainfall events, it captures and delays runoff, reducing downstream peak flows that trigger localized flooding.
Climate-Ready Surfaces
This hydrological logic is strengthened by a porous-ground strategy and upgraded surface-water management. Draining and permeable pavements, new tree planting, and reinforced cycle-pedestrian links work together to slow, store, and safely convey water, while simultaneously improving comfort, biodiversity, and everyday mobility. In Baronio Park, climate adaptation is not hidden in technical layers: it becomes a visible, walkable landscape system.
Data
Landscape: Paisà
Other designers involved in the design of landscape: Andreas Kipar – LAND S.r.l., Dong Sub Berdtin, Giovanni Minori, Massimo Bottacini, Giacomo Galeone
Project location: Ravenna, Italy
Year completed: 2013-2018
Photo credits:
© Paisà
© FotoBiserni
© Angelo Ciccolo
