The urban redevelopment project of San Lorenzo district in Rome
The district of San Lorenzo in Rome, so called because of its proximity to the basilica of
the same name, has a historical fabric and particular morphological and environmental
characteristics. Built on farmland belonging to the bourgeoisie at the end of the 1800s,
it attracted migrants who saw a certainty of work in the thriving construction sector. This
created the need to build cheap high-density dwellings for the working class, craftsmen
and the people, taking advan¬tage of the absence, until 1887, of a city building regula-
tion and therefore, building without any planning.
In 1909 the Sanjust Plan provides for the completion but does not heal the degraded
building fabric. During the Great War the war industry implemented the development of
urban transport by rail and the urbanization of the land of Casal Bruciato transformed San
Lorenzo from a suburban border into a transition area between the intramural city and
the periphery. In 1962 the Master Plan provides for the construction of the East Tan¬gen-
ziale and excludes it from investments. Today the social and structural conditions, the
high building density with reduced road sections, the organic lack of greenery and ser-
vices require a reorganization process.
The Urban Project of the municipality of 2006 identifi es areas of valorisation, limited
by building permeability and inhomogeneity. The Aurelian Walls, the Verano cemetery,
the University City and the Rome Termini railway are strengths in the regeneration of the
neighborhood that provides a connection to the areas of valorisation. The areas of in-
ter¬vention are: C10 - via de Lollis; C11 - Verano; D - bombed buildings; B7 - borghetto
dei Lucani; C4 - Atac deposit.