Mussolini's "New Rome"
By the turn of the century, the city inside the walls had been completely built out, and population was expanded greatly because of the city's capital status. The city began to spread outward. Enter Mussolini (1922-1944).
Mussolini had an enormous impact on the spatial layout of Rome and signified the beginning of "feverish levels of construction within the city." He created what is considered the first master plan of Rome created in 1931(previous plans existed, but were all based on managing traffic only). Not only did he create a grand master plan that vastly changed the city’s focus away from the historic center, but he also had the political will/power to implement it. (Karabenick, 1963) This was a period of substantial urban demolition and reconstruction, much like our own Urban Renewal program of the 1960s. (Trabalzi, 1989)
Mussolini envisioned a "New Rome" with a vast metropolis that expended all the way to the coastline. In his first 10 years in leadership, he drained this area to later install a new rail line and express highway, thus laying the groundwork for his new urban core 4 miles south of the city. This new city, dubbed "EUR" would be built for the upcoming 1942 World's Fair.
These massive projects (partially listed below) created a huge influx of people in the construction and related trades for implementation.
Among the 3 projects featured with photos below, Mussolini arranged for the marsh between Rome and coast to be drained, created the plan for the ring road around the city, and cleared slums throughout the city.
New quartieri (neighborhoods/cores) were founded:
- San Basilio
- Ostia (restructuring the coastal city)
...and bordering villages were included into the city:
- Osteria del Curato
- Quarto Miglio
New avenues were opened through the historic center, often in poorer areas, causing the displacement of a significant part of Rome’s small boroughs (borgate). These people were moved to settlements in the outskirts of the city. "These interventions changed the city so dramatically that they were named Sventramenti (slaughters)." (Castroni, 2009) Two of the more prominent avenue-building projects were the Vatican entry and the avenue between Piazza Venezia and the Coliseum.
AVENUE ROJECT: Between Piazza Venezia & Coliseum
The creation of the Via dei Fori Imperiali was planned for triumphant military marches or parades.
"Although the road was touted as a celebration of the glories of ancient Rome, its construction entailed the systematic demolition of over 40,000 square yards
of one of the most densely populated areas of Rome, obliterating ancient, medieval and Renaissance structures, including five churches and popular tenements that housed 746 of Rome's poorest families." (Castroni, 2009)
Mussolini built EUR in advance of the 1942 Worlds Fair. This was the first time a urban core was built outside the historic center. Read more about EUR and the Worlds Fair of 1942.