This initiative is settled in the context of a bilateral agreement of scientific cooperation established in 2003 between the Dipartimento di Architettura e Progetto (DiAP) of Sapienza - University of Rome and the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape of the University of Montréal. This project carried out international research regarding periurban areas and sustainable development and was supported by:
The long and complex history of the Appia Antica Park is ongoing. Its story began with the first archaeological excavations of the mid-eighteen century and the reconstruction of the monuments along the Appia road by Canina. It continued with the institution of the Passeggiata Archeologica (the archaeological public walk) established by Baccelli and Bonghi in 1887 (realized only in 1918) and the insertion of a preservation area in the Rome Master Plan of 1931.
Antonio Cederna and Italia Nostra (who, in 1976, commissioned to architect Vittoria Calzolari the design of the first coherent project for the park) played a crucial role in safeguarding this wedge-shaped area, which stretches from Rome’s city centre (where it forms a whole with the Ancient Roman Forum that constitutes the head-connection to the city) to the Alban hills. In the 1970s and 1980s, Cederna and Nostra fought for the preservation and enhancement of this great historical landscape. As a result, the Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Roma conducted crucial work for the protection and restoration of its heritage.
These steps led to the creation of the large Archaeological Park of the Fori in the center of Rome, and to the protection of the Appia area, which was finally recognized in 1988 through the institution of the Parco Regionale dell'Appia Antica. The area was later mapped in the new Master Plan of Rome of 2002 as one of the five Strategic Areas, or "Ambiti Strategici" (the “Ambito Strategico Appia Antica”), which are large-scale coherent systems that shape the city of Rome.
In 1998, ten years after the institution of the Regional Park, a management institution was established, which, among other initiatives, elaborated a Structure Plan, which awaits approval from the Regione Lazio. The endorsement of the Plan involves the realization and concretization of the planning prescriptions and the design of specific sites, as crucial and decisive stages for the authentic preservation and enhancement of this area.
The Appia Antica area represents for Rome a formidable and uncommon occurrence: an enormous void in the heart of a metropolis. In this vast green area, which plays an important part in the city’s ecosystem, ruins (a resource both aesthetic and historical) are an outstanding component of the urban context. This environment presents a heterogeneous coexistence of museum areas and residences, tourist zones and city services, productive ensembles and agricultural lands, natural areas of high environmental value and wastelands. The consequence is that, regardless of the deep fascination for this area and the existing laws aimed at preserving its integrity, it is difficult to acknowledge this complex territory as a park, despite its monuments and green spaces.
A lot has been done to contribute to the enhancement of this area. However, the territory of the Appia Antica faces hostility from illegal occupants and presents areas of decay and social insecurity. What are the opportunities for the preservation, transformation, and development generated by this Plan?
This land, clearly a valuable territory that should be protected for its history and precious environmental qualities, must be reconsidered despite its mostly private land tenure. The preservation of this landscape is a challenge that only the project, paired with political action can resolve. The project creates an important occasion to reflect on issues regarding the design and management of archaeology, agriculture and public spaces.
Urban archaeology and urban design, intended to make active use of the landscape, should:
Our initiative has encouraged a reflection, developed together with the participating institutions (the Ente Parco, the Regione Lazio, and the Province) on what a 21st century archaeological territory can be. The International Workshop was aimed to develop 12 landscape projects, combining archaeological, environmental, economic, social, and cultural issues in an innovative way.
In June/July 2011 theWAT_UNESCO Appia Antica took place in the spaces of the Ente Parco Appia Antica. A preliminary preparatory seminar was held in May. The initiative aimed to:
a) Compare, understand, and synthesize the different preservation and planning tools
These issues were developed by a team of professors and experts of the participating institutions and were discussed with the key public actors involved in the preservation and transformation of the territory (the Regione Lazio and the Appia Antica Park, the Province and the Municipality of Rome). Conservation of historical landscapes and biodiversity, urban expansion, territorial identity, quality of life, cultural diversity, etc. were the principal issues synthesized in a document prepared during a preliminary seminar entitled ‘Posterplan.’
b) Develop multi-disciplinary know-how and open a dialogue among different experts
This research project involved architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners, archaeologists, and experts on agriculture and forestry to develop a multidisciplinary reflection on the “creation of landscapes” and on sustainability issues.
c) Develop 12 landscape projects for the Parco dell’Appia Antica
Design during the workshop focused on the different landscapes of the Appia Antica park (the archaeological and heritage landscape, the agricultural landscape, the landscape of the quarries, the landscape of the XIXth century military forts, the landscape of the economic boom of the 60s) and the important urban nodes of the city.
Students and professors of 11 different universities carried out 12 specific landscape projects on 6 different areas, with the aim of opening a debate on the enhancement and enrichment of this area for the benefit of public actors and citizens.
Special attention was paid to:
d) Stimulate a design and a transformation of the territory that includes the notion of landscape
The aim of the WAT_UNESCO was to rethink the Appia territory and to convey to the students, key actors of the preservation and planning policies, and managers of the territory the most advanced international debate on issues concerning landscape. For this reason, the projects and the conference were made public, an exhibition was organized, and the results were collected in a publication.
The program was organized in 5 phases:
The Posterplan was conceived in what we called the “Workshop for the workshop." We developed 6 final panels that explain the main character of the Appia landscape and synthesize the principal planning instruments:
The International Conference “The Park and the City: the Historical Territory of the Appia in the Future of Rome” was held on June 27, 2011.
The conference aimed to introduce the participants of the workshop (students and professors) to the issues related to the Appia territory. The conference also served as an opening to a public debate divided into three sessions:
Each session featured:
The WAT_UNESCO was held in an old paper factory, the main headquarters of the Appia Antica Park Authority. Students and professors of 11 different universities carried out specific landscape projects in 6 different areas.
The study areas were selected for their strategic and heterogeneous structure in the park’s territory. In each area there were issues related to: archaeological and historical heritage, biodiversity and natural resources, mobility, access, and the interface between city and park:
Site 1: Aurelian Wall / North Access
Resources:
Critical issues:
Site 2: Sette Chiese / Tor Marancia
Resources:
Critical issues:
Site 3: Laurentina / Vigna Murata
Resources:
Critical issues:
Site 4: Torricola train station / Cava Selce quarry
Resources:
Critical issues:
Site 5: Tuscolana / Cinecittà
Resources:
Critical issues:
Site 6: Santa Maria delle Mole / South Access
Resources:
Critical issues:
At the end of the WAT_UNESCO, the scientific results were presented and displayed during a public ceremony and an exhibit. The documentation of the work and the opening seminar were published in Italian and English with the participating institutions. The results of this experimentation are also shared by the CUPUM Observatoire international des paysages urbains.
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Aurelian Wall / North Access
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Aurelian Wall / North Access
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Sette Chiese / Tor Marancia
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Sette Chiese / Tor Marancia
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Laurentina / Vigna Murata
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Torricola train station / Cava Selce quarry
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Torricola train station / Cava Selce quarry
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Santa Maria delle Mole / South Access
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Tuscolana / Cinecitta
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Tuscolana / Cinecitta
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Roma - Lazio (Italia)
Santa Maria delle Mole / South Access
Roma - Lazio (Italia)