Rome’s city assembly has approved a resolution updating the Carta per la qualità of the general urban plan. This is the tool that sets out which historic, architectural and urban elements must be considered when transformation, conservation or restoration works are designed. The measure is the second phase of a revision started in earlier years, and it matters for planners because the Carta does not treat the historic city as limited to the centre.
What changes
The update completes the census, begun in 2022, of buildings constructed between the late nineteenth century and the Second World War. It adds 677 new villas to the Carta and identifies 13 new urban fabrics, while one existing fabric is extended. Most new entries are concentrated in a few areas:
| Area | New villas |
|---|---|
| Montesacro | 331 |
| Parioli–Nomentano | 238 |
| Municipio I | 58 |
| Tuscolano | 32 |
| Municipio XII | 9 |
| Ostia Lido | 9 |
The census considers both the merit of each building and the value of the villas as a group. These villas accompanied the expansion of post-unification Rome for about sixty years. The resolution also updates the guide for the quality of interventions with a specific sheet on historic villas.
At the same time, 466 special-type buildings and 30 industrial archaeology elements are removed from the Carta.
Modern and contemporary works
Research commissioned from the QART laboratory of the Department of Architecture and Design at Sapienza University of Rome led to 72 works and complexes entering the Carta. They include the MAXXI, the Roma Tiburtina high-speed station, the Nuvola, the San Giovanni station of Metro C, the Ponte Settimia Spizzichino and the new entrance to the Domus Aurea. Neighbourhood places are also listed, such as the Biblioteca della Collina della Pace, the Parco Peppino Impastato in Borgata Finocchio, and ATER and experimental housing in Ponte di Nona/Villaggio Falcone. The Elsa Morante cultural centre, the Biblioteca Laurentina and the works of the Corviale urban recovery plan are also included.
Background and aims
This is the second update of the Carta carried out by the planning department during the current term. The first, approved in 2024, removed about 750 properties and added 246 new protected ones (113 historic villas in Municipio I and 133 in Municipio II). Works on those properties now need prior consent from the Sovrintendenza Capitolina. According to planning councillor Maurizio Veloccia, the first phase covered only the historic centre, while the work now extends to the whole city. He said the update also makes it easier to convert and reuse buildings that have lost their distinctive character.