Rome’s Integrated Urban Project (Piano Urbano Integrato) in Tor Bella Monaca is a large-scale regeneration initiative targeting one of the city’s most disadvantaged peripheral neighbourhoods. The project combines in-place housing renovation with social, cultural, and economic interventions, allowing residents to remain in their homes while improving living conditions. By integrating physical regeneration with social inclusion and participatory processes, the project aims to rebuild trust in public institutions and create a replicable model for other marginalised neighbourhoods in Rome.
Integrated urban project (Piano Urbano Integrato PUI) Tor Bella Monaca (Rome)
Abstract
Rome’s Integrated Urban Project (Piano Urbano Integrato, PUI) in Tor Bella Monaca aims to deliver a holistic regeneration model for one of the city’s most disadvantaged peripheral neighbourhoods. The initiative addresses the physical, social, and economic dimensions of urban exclusion through an integrated approach. Its core objectives include upgrading housing through energy, seismic, and technological retrofits while minimising displacement, enabling residents to remain in place during works. In parallel, the project seeks to reduce social and spatial isolation by improving connectivity, expanding public space, and strengthening access to local services.
A key focus is enhancing safety through urban quality – using improved design, active ground-floor uses, and more vibrant public spaces to address crime and insecurity. The project also promotes social inclusion by investing in cultural infrastructure, education, and local economic development, supporting the revitalisation of community life. Finally, it aims to rebuild trust in public institutions through sustained engagement, transparency, and co-design with residents, while serving as a replicable model for other marginalised neighbourhoods across Rome.
Integrated Urban Project (Piano Urbano Integrato – PUI) Tor Bella Monaca Rome Summary
Country: Italy
City: Rome
EU member state: Yes
Geographic scale: City
City size: Large (4 306 158 residents)
Date launched: 2023
Current status: Ongoing
Policy pillar(s): Education, Labour markets, Housing and the built environment, Public services
Target group(s): Children, Youth, Women, People at risk of poverty or social exclusion, People with a migrant background, Low-income households, Families, Unemployed or underemployed individuals, Small business owners and entrepreneurs
Funding and budget:
Total budget: EUR 95 000 000
Funding sources: Local government (City of Rome), National government, European Commission
EU funds/programmes: Next Generation EU, Italian National Plan for Recovery and Resilience (PNRR), Mission 5 – investment PUI, ERDF National Plan Metro Plus 2021-2027
Tor Bella Monaca was developed in the late 1970s as a social housing estate designed for over 30 000 residents. More than 80% of units are social housing in some areas, and buildings suffer from poor maintenance and urban decay. The neighbourhood’s design – inward-facing with limited visibility – has contributed to safety concerns and illegal activities. Socio-economic conditions in the neighbourhood are significantly below the city average: incomes are around €15 300, unemployment is high, only about 6% of residents hold a university degree, and school dropout rates are approximately 15%. These combined challenges demonstrated need for an integrated intervention around both physical and social conditions.
Rome prioritised Tor Bella Monaca under its PUI, adopting a holistic regeneration approach rather than a purely physical upgrade. One key focus is in-place renovation, allowing residents to remain during works and avoiding displacement. The project also prioritises improving safety through urban quality and everyday use of space, while positioning the intervention as a model for other marginalised neighbourhoods across the city.
The project combines housing renovation with social, cultural, and spatial interventions. Ground floors are redesigned to host services and local activities, supporting neighbourhood vitality. Cultural infrastructure such as the Museum of the Peripheries helps strengthen local identity, while a partnership with Sapienza University, which operates an on-site research lab, helps support design and local engagement. Investments in public space and mobility, including 1.8 km of cycling paths and over 55 000 m² of redesigned areas, aim to reduce isolation among residents.
Implementation combines in-place building renovation with the gradual transformation of public and semi-public spaces, including the redesign of an 11 000 m² central courtyard, aim to enhance accessibility, usability, and social interaction. Implementation has also required addressing complex on-the-ground challenges, including the evacuation of illegally occupied apartments and garages, often in coordination with law enforcement. Continuous engagement with residents and local NGOs supports the co-design of future social, educational, and cultural services within regenerated spaces.
While the project is ongoing, an important intermediate outcome is the growing level of trust between residents and public institutions in a neighbourhood previously marked by limited institutional presence and strong influence of criminal organisations. The daily presence of municipal and social services, combined with sustained resident engagement and the work of an on-site university laboratory, has contributed to this positive shift. This is evidenced by increasing participation of residents and local organisations in co-design processes for future social, educational, and cultural services. At the same time, implementation has been continuously adapted in response to delays linked to illegal occupation, poor building conditions, and the need for more inclusive representation in public participation processes. Early lessons highlight the need to combine visible, short-term improvements with longer-term engagement, and to rapidly reactivate regenerated spaces to prevent renewed abandonment or illegal use.
Address physical and social conditions simultaneously. Regeneration efforts are more effective when housing upgrades are combined with investments in public space, services, and community infrastructure. Partnerships with local organisations and academic institutions can build trust, respond to local needs, and generate a strong positive sense of place.
Combine tangible short-term improvements with long-term engagement. Delivering early, evident changes can build trust and momentum, but must be reinforced through sustained participation and co-design. Ongoing resident engagement alongside physical works can generate a virtuous cycle that yields more inclusive planning of future services.
Integrated Urban Project (IT: Piano Urbano Integrato) Tor Bella Monaca: http://www.urbanistica.comune.roma.it/strumenti-urbanistici/rigenerazione-urbana/pui-tbm.html
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Photo credits: Urbanistica Comune di Roma
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