Abstract

For more than three years in Rome, thanks to cooperation between institutions, associa-tions and citizen representatives, there has been a commitment to make the Corviale, a vast housing project located in the city's south-west district of Portuense, an «intelligent, sustainable, inclusive»* zone. The building complex, the result of 1970s academic architectural trends regarding major public dwellings, is an innovative and experimental project created by a group of experts led by Mario Fiorentino. It is now regarded in Italy as one of the most important expres-sions of late-twentieth-century architecture. By the end of 2011, the Corviale project, with the support of Mi- BACT (Italy's Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism), stood as a positive experimental example of a city building in its relationship to cultural and social dynamics. The project represents interinstitutional and multidisciplinary cooperation, with strong national importance due to its systemic approach to the theme of urban suburbs, to a model for solutions that are compatible with historical/cultural values and landscape, to the revival of citizen participa-tion, and to its environmental, economic and social sustainability choices. A shared programme was therefore defined, and an integrated project is being prepared, in the frame-work of the 2014-2020 programming period of European structural funds. Positive results are already emerging in the renewed attention of local and national institutions involved.