ACPV ARCHITECTS, Parcnouveau, ARUP and Asset has unveiled the “La Città della Gioia” masterplan, an innovative and flexible urban regeneration designed to benefit its entire neighborhood which will guide the redevelopment of Rome’s former trade fair area Ex Fiera.
The masterplan mends the urban fabric by opening the site to the entire city: a design that gives life to a new, inclusive, pedestrian, attractive and proactive settlement model, connecting urban areas through a design the declines the territorial dimension of via C. Colombo towards the more intimate one on via Dell’Arcadia, from viale di Tor Marancio to via dei Georgofili.
“In this project, to return to the community a place that has been abandoned for years, we worked on creating a sense of community and belonging. The masterplan and guidelines play a crucial role in ensuring that future residents and those of the surrounding neighborhoods can have access to all the services they need,” says architect Antonio Citterio, Chairman and Founder of ACPV ARCHITECTS. “The project explores the latent energies of the city and, through an urban design conceived with specific goals, turns them into ethical tools. ‘La Città della Gioia’ restores meaning and purpose to a large urban portion of Rome, making public space an educational, inclusive and intergenerational experience,” says architect Patricia Viel, CEO and Founder of ACPV ARCHITECTS.
A design that diversifies and increases the quality of public space, dedicating 50% of the areas to green space and services, offering learning and growth opportunities that respond to the interests and needs of the younger population, this initiative represents a proactive approach to urban planning that promotes an innovative model of urban experiences, creating healthy and vibrant communities.
By reclaiming a vast area of the city, the redevelopment of the former trade fair area represents a unique opportunity to recognize the importance and value of play, a promoter of physical activity, social interaction and psychophysical well-being. The intergenerational city project encourages an active lifestyle from a young age and promotes healthy aging practices to improve individual development, community cohesion and quality of life.
Margherita Brianza, founder of Parcnouveau, states, “The project was born to respond to the needs of the local area and community.” Our ‘active green’ concept is based on two key principles: expressing one’s individuality and enjoying the benefits of nature. It is vital that we promote the wellbeing of all, both on an individual and a community level, in line with the principles of biophilia. The project is the result of the company’s vision of ‘Landscapes for People’, which puts people’s perspective and community needs at the heart of everything, creating social spaces that encourage and strengthen connections between people, and foster a deep reconnection with nature.”
The design of the masterplan La Città della Gioia harmoniously connects the various parts of the neighborhood, building fluid transitions between public and private spaces. The residences, plaugrounds, gardens and squares become meeting places, while the tree-lined avenues and pedestrian green spaces promote a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. The squares are designed as cultural hubs for public events, artistic performances and moments of social exchange. The approach integrates nature into the design of the spaces, enriching them with educational activities focused on biodiversity and enhancing the climate resilience of the entire area. The tree lined avenues and large spaces of the park offer sweeping moments that declined in the language of Roman nature properly reconnect the site to its context and offer the entire neighborhood a space of welcome and freedom.
The operation aims to free up land, maximizing permeability and greenery, building a sequence of different urban scenarios through a continuous system of public spaces over the entire lot. Through strong connections among all the various green areas, a large unitary, public and inclusive urban park is created: an ecological corridor which, starting from via C. Colombo extends towards via dell’Arcadia and viale Tor Marancio, transforming the area to a source of urban and environmental regeneration.
