1. The Underground City: Beneath the streets of Rome lies an extensive network of tunnels, catacombs, and ancient ruins, including the famous Catacombs of San Callisto and San Sebastiano. These underground burial sites date back to the early Christian era and offer a glimpse into the city's rich history. 2. Home to the World's First Shopping Mall: The Trajan's Market, built around 100-110 AD, is considered the world's oldest shopping mall. It housed over 150 shops and offices, showcasing the advanced commercial practices of ancient Rome. 3. The Birthplace of the Modern Calendar: The Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC, laid the foundation for the calendar we use today. It was the first to introduce a leap year and reorganized the Roman calendar to better align with the solar year.
Based on the search results and available information, here is an extensive report on the current state of housing in Rome, Italy:
Housing Market Overview
Prices and Ownership
In Rome, housing prices vary significantly depending on location and property type. As of August 2024:
- Average purchase price: €3,382 per square meter
- Average rental price: €17.13 per square meter per month
Prices are highest in the historic center:
- Purchase: €7,925 per square meter
- Rent: €28.22 per square meter per month
The lowest prices are found in peripheral areas like Lunghezza and Castelverde:
- Purchase: €1,824 per square meter
- Rent: €10.05 per square meter per month
Regarding homeownership, approximately 73.4% of Romans own their homes, while 26.6% rent[4].
Public and Social Housing
Public housing, known as Edilizia Residenziale Pubblica (ERP), plays a significant role in Rome's housing landscape:
- Total ERP units: Approximately 74,500
- Roma Capitale (City of Rome) owns: 28,500 units
- ATER (Regional Housing Agency) owns: 46,000 units
These units house around 170,000 people, equivalent to the population of an entire municipal district[5][7].
Distribution
ERP housing is concentrated in specific areas:
- Highest concentration: Eastern quadrant (from Fidene to Tor Bella Monaca)
- Notable neighborhoods: Tufello (3,418 units), San Basilio (3,251 units), Primavalle (2,678 units)
- Municipio VI (Torri area) has the highest number of city-owned units: 6,400
- Torre Angela (including Tor Bella Monaca) has the most public housing: 4,200 units[5]
Challenges
The public housing system faces several challenges:
- Long waiting lists (approximately 3,000 eligible families in urgent need)
- Aging infrastructure in older developments
- Illegal occupations and underutilized units
- Complex management due to split ownership between city and regional authorities[6]
Cooperative Housing
Cooperative housing has a long history in Rome, dating back to the early 20th century. While specific current numbers are not provided in the search results, cooperatives continue to play a role in providing affordable housing options:
- Cooperativa Edilizia Nazario Sauro: Founded in 1919, has built over 500 units for military personnel and their families[8]
- Coop Habitat Roma: A newer cooperative focusing on urban regeneration projects[2]
City Policies and Initiatives
Rome has implemented several strategies to address housing affordability and sustainability:
- Strategic Plan for the Right to Housing 2023-2026:
- Aims to satisfy the housing needs of 3,000 vulnerable families on waiting lists by 2026
- Focuses on acquiring new housing units and speeding up recovery and assignment procedures
- Strengthens controls to recover illegally occupied or unused houses[6]
- Housing Social Observatory:
- Monitors housing conditions and develops new strategies
- Social Housing Agency:
- Manages social housing welfare
- Implements experimental projects
- Defines new intervention lines for social housing
- Acts as an intermediary in the market, promoting agreed-rent contracts and rent guarantee funds[6]
- Housing Social Registry:
- Provides transparency on subsidized rental housing options across the city
- Updated quarterly to inform citizens about available units and serve as a control mechanism[9]
- Promotion of Cooperative Housing: While specific promotional activities are not detailed in the search results, the city appears to support cooperative housing initiatives through:
- Collaboration with existing cooperatives
- Allocation of buildable areas for cooperative housing projects
- Inclusion of cooperative housing in urban regeneration plans[2][8]
- Urban Regeneration:
- Encourages the development of mixed-income communities in former public housing areas
- Aims to improve social integration and neighborhood quality[5]
- Student Housing:
- Recognizes the need for affordable student accommodation as part of its housing strategy[6]
In conclusion, Rome faces significant housing challenges, particularly in terms of affordability and the management of its public housing stock. The city is implementing a multi-faceted approach to address these issues, combining public housing improvements, support for cooperative and social housing initiatives, and policies aimed at increasing overall housing affordability and sustainability. However, the scale of the challenge remains substantial, and ongoing efforts will be required to meet the housing needs of Rome's diverse population.
Citations: [1] https://www.immobiliare.it/mercato-immobiliare/lazio/roma/ [2] https://www.habitat.confcooperative.it/LINFORMAZIONE/LE-NOTIZIE/ArtMID/482/ArticleID/791/Coop-Habitat-Roma-Edilizia-libera-nel-quartiere-Portuense [3] https://www.immobiliare.it/mercato-immobiliare/lazio/roma/centro-storico/ [4] https://m.dellevittorie.it/panorama-abitativo-a-roma-proprieta-locazione-differenze-demografiche-tecnoborsa/ [5] https://www.mapparoma.info/mappe/mapparoma24-disuguaglianze-e-case-popolari-quartieri-roma/ [6] https://www.comune.roma.it/web/it/notizia.page?contentId=NWS1048779 [7] https://osservatoriocasaroma.com/il-patrimonio-residenziale-pubblico/ [8] https://nazariosauro.it [9] https://www.comune.roma.it/web/it/scheda-servizi.page?contentId=INF523429&stem=ediliziaressociale