Rome opens smog-absorbing school street in Municipio XI

Rome opens first smog-absorbing school street in Municipio XI

Rome has opened the first school street in Municipio XI, closing via Gaetano Astolfi outside the Vaccari primary school and repaving it with photocatalytic materials across about 2,800 square metres, estimated to remove nitrogen oxides like 200-250 urban trees.

31 October 2026 by Robert Eduard Antal, facts checked automatically against the source · updated 2 November 2026

Key facts

The section of via Gaetano Astolfi in front of the Vaccari primary school has been closed to traffic and turned into a school street.

The photoactive surface covered by the project totals about 2,800 square metres.

The treated surface is estimated to remove nitrogen oxides at a rate comparable to roughly 200-250 medium-sized urban trees.

Rome has inaugurated the first school street in Municipio XI, serving the “Piero Terracina” institute, where the road in front of the Vaccari primary school has been closed to traffic. The project also tests photocatalytic paving and paints meant to absorb air pollutants, combining safer space for children with an air quality measure. It was opened by Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, environment councillor Sabrina Alfonsi and Municipio XI president Gianluca Lanzi.

What has changed

The whole section of via Gaetano Astolfi in front of the Vaccari primary school has been closed to traffic and turned into a school street. It was entirely repaved with interlocking photocatalytic concrete blocks and coloured with photocatalytic paints, which were also used to create ground games for children. According to the mayor, the space was redesigned with new street furniture, trees, games and materials that absorb fine particulate matter and do not retain heat from the sun. The pavements of viale di Vigna Pia were redone with the same materials. The work will continue with similar interventions on the pavements of via Giovanni Bombrini and via Filippo Tajani.

How the surfaces work

Photocatalysis uses titanium dioxide, activated by light, to turn some air pollutants into less harmful compounds. The photoactive surface covered by the project totals about 2,800 square metres. The city estimates that the treated surface can remove nitrogen oxides at a rate comparable to about 200-250 medium-sized urban trees. This is described as equivalent to avoiding 1.4 million kilometres a year of travel by petrol vehicles. The new pavements also reduce some organic components of fine particulate matter and are self-cleaning, anti-odour and antimicrobial.

Funding and the wider plan

The project is part of a Ministry of Economy and Finance grant of about 1 million euro, assigned by the Lazio Region to Rome’s environment department for actions to improve air quality. Mayor Gualtieri said Rome now has 15 school streets:

7 more are about to go to construction
12 more are planned within the current council term
the target for the term is 34

He added that the city would like every school to have a school street. Alfonsi called it a pilot project that can be replicated in other parts of the city.

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