Green Dalmatia’s project to bring trees and greenery back into the city centre
If you walked through Diocletian palace in Split on Monday, October 26, 2015, you noticed something different on its main square- Peristil. Instead of the age old stone plates, it was covered with grass, all part of the “Breakfast on the Grass” art/ educational performance organised by Green Dalmatia.
Every year we are witnesses to a changing climate. We’ve just entered September and according to the weather forecast, we will still be able to go for a swim this weekend. Summers are getting hotter; winters are becoming shorter and milder. Even though this may sound great at first, we are faced with serious problems that climate changes bring. Some areas in the city, and we were able to see it this summer in Split, are experiencing temperatures that are up to 5 degrees higher than anywhere else in the surroundings because of the so called heat island effect.
“Stone, asphalt, concrete…they all absorb solar energy and generate high temperatures and our urban centres are not ready for this life-threatening effect” – warned Lovro Rumora from Green Dalmatia today during their one off performance on one of the most recognizable squares in Split – ancient Peristil.
– This is a “cultural-shock”, one we’ve been working on for a while. It’s goal is to create a quantum leap in our heads. Climate changes are here and we’re experiencing the highest temperatures ever recorded. This is a way to warn everyone that we are not doing anything to prevent it – Rumora added.
Peristil turned green today as a part of the “Green ring” project, worth six million kuna, all to remind us that we are now forced to start creating so called green corridors throughout the city.
– In cooperation with the city communal company Parkovi i Nasadi and for the need of the Historical centre management plan, Greens have selected Peristil as an area for the horticultural improvement of the UNESCO protected space. By adding greenery to our city centre we will double or triple the amount of trees we have today. The mission is to plant grass, trees or shrubs wherever archaeology and infrastructure allows- Rumora continued.
This project has already defined all the areas in the city where greenery should be added including Marmontova, Prokurative etc, and all with the final goal of creating a green ring that would protect us from the heat even during high noon. One of the ideas includes turning the old green market into a green oasis where locals and tourists would be able to relax in the afternoon (after the markets close) and to turn all areas that used to be covered with trees into their prior state.
“It is time to stop investing in concrete and start investing in our environment” –president of Green Dalmatia concluded.
Project is supported by the Deputy Mayor of Split Goran Kovačević and the Minister of Civil Engineering Anka Mrak Taritaš: “This shows us Split is lacking green areas. Some historical reasons have contributed to this because the city itself was built around the palace which used to be surrounded by greenery. But now is the time for horticulture to find its way back into the urban centres. With good ideas, Split can create new values and this project is one of them” Mrak Taritaš commented.
