“The City of Rome is passionately committed to the goal of regenerating our cities and our territories in order to make them places where our people and communities can prosper and thrive in the future. Sustainability, social inclusion, protection of the environment, and promotion of a multicultural identity are among my highest priorities. Exchanging ideas and best practices between likeminded cities is crucial to achieving these goals.”
Roberto Gualtieri was born in Rome in 1966. He earned a degree in Literature and Philosophy from La Sapienza University of Rome and a PhD in Economic History, after which he became an Associate Professor of Contemporary History. He has written books and essays on Italian and international political and economic history and European integration and collaborated with several newspapers and magazines.
In 2009, Mayor Gualtieri became a Member of the European Parliament and, among his duties, was part of the Brexit negotiating team and chair of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. In September 2019 he was appointed Minister of Economy and Finance of the Conte II Cabinet. In this role, he was committed to mitigating the social and economic impact of the health emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic by supporting workers, families and businesses. He led negotiations in Europe to adopt a robust economic countercyclical response to the crisis and launch of the Next Generation EU Program.
Mayor Gualtieri was motivated to run for Mayor by the passion that binds him to the city of Rome, his city, and the desire to relaunch its European and international role by making Rome an easier, more attractive and livable metropolis for all Romans. This is not a simple step along the journey, but a lifelong choice and commitment to the whole city.
Social protection helps people cope with major sources of poverty and vulnerability while promoting human development. It consists of a broad set of arrangements and instruments designed to protect individuals, households and communities against the financial, economic and social consequences of various risks, shocks and impoverishing situations and to bring them out of poverty. Social protection interventions include, at a minimum, social insurance, labour market policies, social safety nets and social welfare services.
Long-term care for non-self-sufficient elderly or differently able people is a core issue; the city is working on the creation of services to support them. In the case of vulnerable elderly people, the residences are a valuable antidote to distress and isolation. A cohousing model promotes the reduction of non-acute hospitalization of the elderly, who can be cared more effectively in their own homes, with significant reductions in costs related to hospitalization days. Retirement homes are also important. These hotel-type residences are intended for self-sufficient or partially self-sufficient people who want to spend time with others. They offer a service of assistance and help in carrying out daily activities with continuous input from operators.
In the case of differently abled people, technological improvements to homes will help to provide autonomy and connection to the network of integrated social and socio-health services for continuity of care. These communities will have the most suitable products, systems, and solutions for home automation. In addition, the projects envisage the establishment of houses in which disabled people can start their path to autonomy with opportunities to train for job placement. They will be able to acquire digital skills useful for work and follow study paths, even at university.
There are also projects enforcing social policies for children and adolescents as well as support for Anti-Violence Centers.
Rome is working to improve citizen well-being by tackling homelessness and housing problems. The right to adequate housing is more than having a roof over one’s head, it is the right to live in safety and dignity in a decent home and nowadays not everyone is able to enjoy this right.
To start recovery and social reintegration paths, it is necessary to strengthen the second-level reception system by experimenting with new forms of support such as Housing First. It is fundamental to facilitate the pathways for obtaining registered residence. The vastness of the Roman territory also makes it necessary to strengthen the intervention strategy to intercept all those homeless or transient immigrants who choose isolated and hidden places as a refuge. Particular attention must then be paid to those with fragile social and health conditions.
With the aim of promoting social inclusion and supporting homeless people in conditions of serious social marginalization, Roma Capitale inaugurated ‘Post Stations’ in the city. Each structure will guarantee 30 days of hospitality including accommodation, plus a social desk to offer information’s, guidance, hygiene kits and offer a network support to promote social inclusion.
The Post Stations are structured as multifunctional reception centers. They are open to citizens and aimed at offering support to homeless people in conditions of extreme vulnerability and social marginalization.
The purpose is to promote regeneration processes in urban areas with housing and settlement problems, with particular attention to the suburbs, and to increase the quality of life in specific parts of the city. The regeneration begins with the objective of defining a new urban centrality, as a place in which to achieve integration between housing, social, cultural and economic functions, through a new architectural quality starting from public buildings.
The objectives of the National Program for the Quality of Living (PinQua) are redeveloping urban centers, reducing housing problems and promoting social inclusion. Three projects have been approved: regeneration of the R5 compartment in Tor Bella Monaca, the construction of a new residential building in via di Cardinal Capranica and the recovery of the disused barracks in via del Porto Fluviale. They aim at urban regeneration, reduction of housing deprivation and social integration.
The Tor Bella Monaca project covers an area of about 5.4 hectares and envisages the redevelopment of 416 housing units, the construction of 20 housing units and the creation of more than 4,600 square metres of public spaces, including a new cycle path.
To construct the building in Via di Cardinal Capranica, the former Don Calabria School Institute will be demolished, and a new residential body will be built with a public garden, a car park, community service areas and 70 dwellings for public housing.
The ‘Porto Fluviale Rec House’ project covers an area of approximately 3.2 hectares and will rehabilitate disused barracks which have been listed by the Ministry of Culture as an asset of historical-artistic interest. The building will be restored to the highest standards of energy efficiency and, in part, converted into public housing.
The Integrated Urban Plans intervention is dedicated to the suburbs of the Metropolitan City of Rome with the aim of transforming vulnerable territories into smart and sustainable ones. The objective is to rebuild urban and suburban areas, overcoming infrastructural and mobility deficits.
The investment consists of five programmes that will improve large degraded urban areas with a focus on creating new personal services including libraries and bike paths. It will transform vulnerable metropolitan territories into efficient, sustainable and productive ones by increasing their value where possible. The primary objective of the Integrated Urban Plans is the eco-sustainable recovery, restructuring and re-functionalization of public areas and existing building structures, with the aim of improving the quality of life and promoting social and economic revitalization processes.