Library:
Paris Champerret
Madrid
London
Paris Montparnasse
Turin
Berlin
In the face of rapid urbanization and escalating environmental challenges, cities are both a significant contributor to and potential solution for sustainable development. This thesis explores the transformative journey of Rome as it navigates the complexities of urban sustainability, leveraging major funding opportunities through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the upcoming 2025 Jubilee.
Moving from a literature review of the international directives and regulations that set global priorities for climate change mitigation at the urban level, the European Union’s current state of policies in climate and urban regulation, and academic documents concerning urban paradigms and theoretical frameworks such as the 15-Minute City, smart cities, doughnut cities, circular economy, and resilient city models, this study follows in analyzing the city of Rome’s ongoing urban development interventions. Using a qualitative research design, this thesis employs a case study approach, focusing on the interplay between policy directives and effective urban transformations happening in Rome. The city of Rome is subjected to a case study structured with the gathering of primary data, collected through semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders involved in Rome's urban strategy. Secondary data ranging from policy documents, urban plans, and academic literature were also analyzed to triangulate findings.
This thesis contributes to the discourse on urban sustainability by providing insights into the practical application of theoretical frameworks in a major European city facing significant environmental and social challenges. Findings shed light on how international and European climate agendas are being integrated into urban policies and on what the city is drawing from the city models that are currently being rewarded as the most promising responses to the challenge of urban sustainability. The study highlights Rome's efforts in areas such as climate adaptation and mitigation, sustainable mobility, urban regeneration, energy efficiency, and waste management, but also highlights how challenges remain in the areas of implementation, strategic coherence, and effective urban governance of the city. The complexities of the city, coupled with the tight deadlines and restricted destinations of the NRP and Jubilee projects, today result in several fragmented interventions with concentrated benefits but whose underlying comprehensive sense is hard to grasp. Already in the past, the absence of a long-term strategic plan and effective urban governance has led the administrations to a desperate search for shortcuts to development, such as big events and exceptional funding. A shared and long-term strategic vision involving all levels of city governance, a direct national funding line to ensure that plans are implementable in Rome, and a different structure for territorial government are instead what is desirable for the city.
