IT

The Giorgio Bassani urban park in Ferrara is a fragile ecosystem. It cannot be the venue for over 60,000 audience rock concerts. For these events, which are very beautiful and desirable for our city, we ask that another frame be found as of now.

On May 18, 2023 the concert of the international star Bruce Springsteen is scheduled in Ferrara. We are in favor of the concert being held in Ferrara but we do not agree about the place where this concert has been decided to be held.

The Giorgio Bassani Urban Park was conceived and built, right from its design, as a work of re-naturalization of a hinge space between the urban area, the agricultural area and the river.
In more than twenty years (since early '90) a unique and precious biological balance has been created, a complex ecosystem which now, in its full maturity, constitutes a single large living organism.
In the Park, among trees, ponds and canals, migratory and sedentary birds, wild animals and freshwater fish find refuge and protection.
In the immediate proximity there are the local offices and the shelters of the LIPU (Italian League for Birds Protection- part of Birdlife International), the shelters of Lega Nazionale per la Difesa del Cane (National League for Dog Protection), the municipal Cattery and the Municipal Kennel.
To date, about 50,000 spectators are expected to arrive, the negative and long-lasting impact that this will have on the Park is almost superfluous to explain:
construction of a huge stage, arrival of the organization's trucks;
city traffic and creation of parking for the public (inside the park too);
creation of logistic and hygienic services;
impact of the sound volumes of the concert (death from heart attack);
damage caused by the trampling of 55,000 people on the park's grassy surface and therefore on biodiversity;
death of the avifauna;
costs for the “restoration” of the area after the event;
risk of creating a precedent for the use of the park for major events (in fact, the plan is to transform the park in a permanent “large event venue”).

Similar events held on the coast, despite the promises of "zero environmental impact", have had deleterious and irreversible effects on the fragile eco systems of our coasts (the local avifauna in these areas has vanished, the vegetation destroyed), eco systems that have been massively reviled over the years.
We have set up a citizens committee to open a constructive discussion with the Mayor Alan Fabbri in order to evaluate together an alternative place to hold the concert. Being Ferrara in a flat area and already very anthropized, we are sure that finding a more suitable location is possible, we have the time to do it well.
We want the sustainability that everyone is recently pinning on their chest this time to be effective, complete and demonstrable, not just a facade move.
We are sure Ferrara can express skills and resources to create an event of this huge size, that would become a true model of sustainability for the future.

We will also send our alarm cry to the directly interested person: Mr. Bruce Springsteeen, who has always been sensitive to environmental and social issues.

We ask everyone who cares about great music and the environment we live in to sign our appeal, for this we sincerely thank you and please share our appeal with all your contacts. Thanks a lot.