{"id":6089,"date":"2015-06-22T07:39:39","date_gmt":"2015-06-22T05:39:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/?p=6089"},"modified":"2015-07-15T18:34:13","modified_gmt":"2015-07-15T16:34:13","slug":"cassinetta-di-lugagnano-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/2015\/06\/cassinetta-di-lugagnano-italy\/","title":{"rendered":"Cassinetta di Lugagnano: the town happy with zero growth"},"content":{"rendered":"

The small towns and villages on the outer edge of big cities usually just become satellites: it\u2019s the city where life plays out, and those small towns are just empty urban conglomerates where people go back to, to relax and sleep.<\/p>\n

Cassinetta di Lugagnano<\/strong>, a tiny village just 26 km from Milan<\/strong>, was supposed to be exactly one of these towns, but things worked out rather differently: in 2005 the newly elected mayor of Cassinetta proposed a 10 year plan inspired by the idea of zero growth<\/strong> of private and public building.
\nThe plan was subsequently approved and came to a close at the beginning of 2015 with a new plan now waiting to be approved.
\nEcoBnB.com asked the new administration about past and present challenges and what the future holds.<\/p>\n

\"Parco
Parco del Ticino, the green area surrounding Cassinetta di Lugagnano photography by J. Grunig via Flickr<\/div><\/div>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s work for zero growth\u201d<\/strong> was definitely an unconventional motto in a world where \u201cgrowth\u201d and \u201cprogress\u201d go hand in hand.
\nYet the mayor Domenico Finiguerra was able to persuade his political team and even its opponents, and involve the whole community in the process through public events and meetings, resulting in his ambitious plan being approved in 2005.
\nPeople were asked a simple question: \u201cWould you prefer to see the green and agricultural area around our town disappear, to be replaced by new buildings, but receive money in exchange, or would you rather that we redefined the local tax system and protect our village and the quality of life?\u201d
\nIn response to this, the majority of the inhabitants of Cassinetta di Lugagnano must have thought hard about their little village where, in 2005, around 1,200 people lived and knew each other by name. They must have contemplated the value of weekends spent walking and cycling along the channel docks. They must have thought of the town\u2019s old villas owned by the noblest families of nearby Milan\u2026 and then project \u201czero growth\u201d<\/strong> took shape and was a success.<\/p>\n\n\t\t