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Rethinking design for social housing: space appropriation at the periphery of Rome

This paper investigates practices of space appropriation, their rationales and the distinctive forms of community they create in Primavalle, a low‐income public project on the periphery of Rome. Space appropriation is relevant for design practice because it indicates the possibility to learn from the residents in order to envision a progressive design practice. By addressing shortcomings in the literature of New Urbanism and Everyday Urbanism, this research corrects both the normative approach of the former and the anti‐planning sentiment of the latter. The objective was met through examining: (a) setting‐specific forms of space appropriation in the neighborhood; (b) their idealization as personal and community places; and (c) how they occasion and support regular daily routines. I have used three strands of fieldwork: a multi‐block observation of contrasting types of space appropriation, short ethnographies, literature and archival research. The findings of the research support the proposition for a design philosophy lodged between everyday practice and long‐term policy action.