Transforming urban spaces through green infrastructure, climate resilience, and community-centered design in Rome's 15-Minute City programme.
The Spinaceto neighbourhood is located in the southwest quadrant of Rome, in Municipality IX, within the flat territory delimited by the GRA (ring road), Via Pontina, and Via Mezzocammino, approximately 12 km from the city centre.
Born as the first and one of the most important projects realized within Rome's first PEEP (Piano di Edilizia Economica e Popolare), Spinaceto was designed starting in 1965 by architects Moroni, Di Cagno, Barbera, Battinelli, Di Virgilio, and Francione as a "dormitory neighbourhood." The urban design principles underlying the project include:
- Concentration and continuity of public and private facilities to ensure maximum compactness
- Accessibility and permeability between residential spaces and social areas to guarantee maximum participation in collective life
- Direct relationship between residences and open spaces (countryside and parks) to provide every residence with a view of greenery
- High building density to maximize functional efficiency of infrastructure
The neighbourhood is currently the focus of a "15-Minute City" Programme initiated by Rome's municipal administration, which has led to the development of a Masterplan identifying priority intervention axes and a set of projects to be developed based on subsequent analysis and funding sources.
Site Area & Key Information
- Total Site Area: 446 ha
- Residents: ~26,000 (55 ab/ha)
- Average age: ~47 yrs
- Safeguard and enhance natural resources and green areas: Protect existing natural assets while expanding green infrastructure to create a comprehensive ecological network throughout the neighbourhood.
- Design multifunctional urban green infrastructure: Create green spaces capable of activating public space use and promoting social interaction, supporting diverse community needs and activities.
- Disseminate climate change adaptation solutions: Integrate nature-based solutions that respond to climate change effects, particularly addressing urban heat islands and stormwater management.
- Propose a scalable dissemination strategy: Develop a replicable model of urban green infrastructure that can be applied at a broader scale across Rome and similar urban contexts.
- Integrate with ongoing "Nuova Centralità Spinaceto" projects: Create synergies with current interventions at Largo Cannella, designing inclusive urban green projects that complement the tactical urbanism pilot and building restructuring initiatives.
- Establish new green pathways: Design internal green corridors that reconnect the extensive Parco Campagna with the neighbourhood's public spaces, improving accessibility and ecological continuity.
- Create inclusive and intersectional green urbanism: Design urban green spaces with gender-sensitive and inclusive principles to enhance feelings of safety, belonging, and accessibility for all user types.
- Develop cool zones and climate shelters: Create spaces offering refuge from heat waves, providing essential climate adaptation infrastructure for vulnerable populations.
- Plan tactical urbanism and placemaking interventions: Propose low-cost, participatory interventions that encourage community collaboration and preview final design decisions through temporary installations.
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