Ms. Mirella Di Giovine
City of Rome – Department of Environmental and Agricultural Policies
Via Cola di Rienzo, 23, Rome, 00192, Italy
Tel: +39 06/3600 1066
Fax: +39 06/3207 129
E-mail:

1.The ecological network as a basis for urban sustainable development

The first goal for the sustainable development in urban areas is to identify the natural and historical resources, to protect and value them, also in terms of reproduction of the natural environment, re-establishing the suitable equilibrium between cities and natural environment.

The main territorial strategy, identified and recognised at territorial level by the experts of the European Sustainable Cities, is the development of a “green network”, connecting internal green areas of the inner city with the natural and/or/ agricultural suburban areas.

It should be underlined that the City of Rome, compared to other large European capital cities, has still a considerable percentage of free areas: approximately 73% of the total surface (128.000 ha).

The strategy for the definition of the green structure of the “ecological network” in the urban area, based upon a green system, has been organised following 2 criteria of sustainability:

1. inclusion in the green system of all the most important ecological, landscaping, historical landmarks, and interventions for their protection.

2. conservation of the “green network system” which ensures the preserve of bio-diversity at metropolitan and urban level.

The creation of the ecological network is articulated into the following objectives, able to favour the conservation of natural resources:

3. protection and valorisation of valuable areas: protected areas, protection of bio-types

4. strategy for the protection and valorisation: river and stream watersheds.

Environmental restoration of areas in degradation, which are strategic for the construction of the network, of the “ecological corridors”, strengthening of natural elements, rehabilitation interventions for these areas (forests, streams, etc.)

To ensure the low environmental impact of the development projects in general and the use of naturalness, permeability, compensation indexes etc. in the interventions, with adequate regulations.

Use of environmentally correct options in the management and maintenance of the interventions

The Environmental System and the Ecological Network

After identifying, on the basis of study and research, the main ecological emergencies, the City of Rome has pursued, in terms of planning, the identification and protection firstly of areas of high natural value, then the institution of protected areas, according with the laws and regulations of the Latium Region; specific researches and studies were also carried out on the present environmental regulations on protected sites, in order to define the proposal for an ecological network.

Consequently the City government proposed and established, with a regional law, 11 Reserves and 4 Parks on 52.000 ha.

The environmental system that is going to be implemented, defined as ecological network, includes the most important ecological emergencies (reserves, protected areas and bio-types), but also farming areas, equipped green areas and historical green areas (historical villas), public green areas, for a total surface of 83.000 ha of protected areas. Such a system has been developed as an ecological network and, then, we must include the rivers, streams and channels network, with buffer areas for their protection, the areas with natural value, still not developed, close to existing parks, and the network nodes that need a particular environmental focus.

Biological Corridors

The studies carried out show very clearly that the areas where most of the plant species are present are free areas connected among them, the so-called “biological corridors”. The studies show that in the urban area of Rome plant and animal variety and richness are very high for a metropolitan area.

The presence of biological corridors in the urbanised area positively characterises the Roman area, compared to that of other European capitals, and this presence is closely linked to another peculiar characteristic of Rome: the richness of historical and archaeological heritage.

Biological corridors spread out mainly along forest areas and valleys, where also signs of the different historical periods are present, archaeological remains which are among the most important in a particular mingling between history and nature.

There is a biological corridor in the direction NW – SE that crosses the city.

There is another important biological corridor along the axis N – SW where the Tiber river plays a significant role, as it passes through the city centre and links the city to the large coastal areas. Finally, there is another corridor along the axis E – W, represented by the Aniene river, that flows into the Tiber.

These free and continuos areas allow to connect rural suburban areas to the central ones, thus having positive effects on the biological life of the city. The corridors are the primary elements of the ecological network

In fact, it is the presence of these free areas, protected and valued, that is strategic for a sound environmental policy for sustainability, and this is the reason why we must orient the City Government interventions towards activities of environmental recuperation, particularly in the areas which are strategic for to the creation of the network, and are in conditions of environmental degradation.

This ecological network represents, in the field of urban planning, the system of areas unavailable for the urban development, and moreover are the points of reference for the urban transformations; they constitute the structure of the city.

Therefore, the urban development model is built on the system of these areas, rich in environmental, natural, physical, biological and historical resources. This means to value these resources and to generate a more complex structure where urban planning and architecture have to interpret these relationships.

This model is at the core of the strategic options of the new Urban Master Plan which, was adopted in 1997, in order to protect rural and natural areas (82.000 ha).

By building this network, we will ensure the city the natural biological cycles and thus improved biological functions. In fact, this will bring to the reduction of air pollution, a better ventilation, a thermal regulation of the most urbanised areas, a better oxygenation, less impermeabilisation. of soil and good quality of the water table; this will also contribute to the preserve and improvement of the urban landscape.

Particularly for those aspects concerning its territorial organization, the “green network” proposal aims at identifying the linking elements with the “Environmental System” already widely described and set out, as well as identifying regulations and procedures based on environmental sustainability in the following three diverse components:

  • a network primary component characterised by very natural areas and a large water basin;
  • a secondary component characterised by linear elements or areas, partly damaged by the human presence, which play an essential role in the linkage of the environmental system main components. Re-qualification is foreseen for these areas by means of environmental recovery actions;
  • an overall linking component with the green network in heavily manned areas for which regulations aiming at re-qualification through specific environmental projects are foreseen.

Reached results

Protected green areas in the territory of the City55,000 ha

Protection of river and stream watersheds

Farming areas63.000 ha

Total protected green areas82.000 ha

Master Plan Regulations developed on the basis of the ecological network, etc.

Synthetic Data on Bio-diversity in the Roman Area

1500 species of spontaneous plants detected within the Peripheric Highway (about 400 sq. Km.);

75 species of nesting birds, 38 wintering and 13 in temporary stay;

7 plant categories identified: riparian forest, forest of deciduous and mesophill, Adriatic oaks in the Roman countryside, scrubs of sclerophill and thermophill deciduous plants, cork land in the coastal zones, ilex grove, Mediterranean bush;

190 tree species;

15 species of reptiles and 6 of amphibians

more than 5,000 species of insects;

23 geo-types.

We must also note that in Rome a high number of Sites of European importance (Siti di Importanza Cominitaria – SIC), according to the E.U. Programme Nature 2000, have been identified, following the Directive 92/43/ce Habitat; at the same time a high number of Sites of National (SIN) or Regional (SIR) Importance are located in the territory of the City. Finally in the same territory the Chart of Nature, according to Law 394/90, shows 20 sites.

These elements represent also some useful indicators in order to check the sustainability of the undertaken actions, because they allow to verify the implemented strategies and processes.