The City Wins

In 2008, according to the UN, the number of urban dwellers exceeded that of rural dwellers for the first time. In 2050, more than two-thirds of the world’s population will likely live in cities. This leads to the fact that more and more land is needed for living space. The city spreads out into the outer regions like a lava flow.

Rome, or Roma Capitale, as the city is officially called is located in the middle of Italy on the Tiber. The wider area is the “Campagna Romana” or “Campagna” for short. In the post-war decades, Italy experienced an unprecedented economic boom (miracolo economico) and a strong rural exodus: Millions of people from southern Italy and the mountain regions of Abruzzo poured into the capital. In order to handle this effect, large housing estates arose from 1962, as in all major Italian cities, which in Rome were often unplanned and placed in the Roman Campagna without a building permit and subsequently legalized for a fee. (Source: Wikipedia).