SAN MARINO – Encourage the removal of impervious surfaces, increase urban greenery and combat hydrogeological risk and heat islands. These are the objectives of the Delegated Decree of 31 July 2026 n. 111, ratified by a majority of the Great and General Council, which introduces an organic discipline for the depaving and de-sealing of soils, in implementation of Law 3 July 2026 n. 87 on Strategic Territorial Planning.
The provision, illustrated by the Secretary of State for the Territory Alessandro Bevitori and supported by the Secretary of State Matteo Ciacciaims to progressively replace impervious surfaces that are no longer necessary with trees, lawns and native plant species.
The strategy aims to improve the soil’s ability to absorb rainwater, reducing the load on the sewer system during intense weather events. The objectives also include the containment of temperatures in the most built-up urban areas, the improvement of environmental quality and the enhancement of biodiversity.
The technical report identifies two reference interventions. The first concerns Piazzale Menicucci, where the transformation of an oversized car park into a usable green area is planned. Estimates indicate a reduction in surface temperature of up to 25 degrees, an infiltration capacity into the subsoil equal to 90% of rainwater and a lowering of the surrounding air temperature of up to 5 degrees on summer days.
The second project concerns Car Park 6, for which the technical planning of the de-sealing intervention in the area adjacent to the historic center has begun.
On an operational level, article 3 of the decree entrusts the Civil Protection and the AASLP with the task of identifying, within sixty days, the priority public areas on which to intervene, including car parks, squares and pedestrian paths.
Incentives are also provided for private individuals, both in the residential, industrial and commercial sectors. Article 5 introduces a preferential rate of the single-phase tax of 5% for the purchase of native plants, seeds and turf, through procedures that reflect the criteria already adopted by Delegated Decree no. 51/2017 on energy efficiency.
The measure sparked a detailed discussion in the Chamber. For Repubblica Futura, Matteo Casali criticized the scope of the interventions, defining the decree as a “media slogan” with respect to the needs of territorial planning. The councilor recalled the agenda approved in December 2025 for a feasibility study relating to a 40 million euro project, intended for car parks 6 and 7 and vertical connections with the historic centre. According to Casali, limiting the intervention on Car Park 6 to the removal of a portion of asphalt risks downsizing a broader strategy.
Even the councilor Sara Conti asked for clarification on the criteria for assigning tax incentives to private individuals, underlining the need for structural and long-term interventions.
Observations came from the PDCS Francesco Mussoni And Massimo Maianiwho called for concentrating resources and incentives in the most urbanized and industrialized areas, such as the Castello di Serravalle and the curazia di Dogana, where overbuilding and heat islands represent particularly significant critical issues.
In the reply, Matteo Ciacci defended the Government’s actions, underlining the need to move from declarations to concrete interventions. “Slogans cannot be made in the area: either the infrastructures are built or there is no talk,” declared the Secretary of State, highlighting that the decree also makes available the regulatory tools necessary to recognize tax benefits for citizens and start the works.
She intervened in support of the measure Michela Pelliccioni of Gruppo Misto, which proposed to include the interventions in a national plan for the prevention of climate risks, also involving the University of the Republic of San Marino.
Giuseppe Maria Morganti di Libera instead recalled the growing sensitivity towards environmental issues. The advisors Giulia Muratori And Dalibor Riccardialso by Libera, recalled the public works launched by the executive, including the allocation of 98 million euros for the Security Centre, the renovation of Palazzo Begni and the interventions on local health centres.
At the end of the discussion, Delegated Decree no. 111/2026 was ratified by majority.
