First co-design meeting launched at Matteo Ricci school in pilot area of Rome

On March 5, ANCI Lazio held the first participatory co-design meeting with the community at the Istituto Comprensivo Matteo Ricci on Via Cina, in Rome, as part of the European project URWAN – Urban Regenerative Water Avant-garde(N), co-funded by the Interreg Euro-MED programme. The event marked the beginning of a participatory process aimed at transforming the school area into a model of urban sustainability through the implementation of Nature-Based Solutions (NbS).

A Participatory Approach to Urban Regeneration
URWAN aims to tackle challenges related to water scarcity and climate change in Mediterranean regions by promoting urban regeneration through natural and participatory solutions. The meeting at Matteo Ricci School involved teachers, parents, and local representatives in a co-design process to develop sustainable interventions both within and around the school area.

Around 40 participants joined the meeting, including teachers and staff of the Istituto Comprensivo Matteo Ricci, parents and class representatives from the nursery and primary schools on Via Cina, members of the School Council, representatives of local associations and neighborhood committees (CDQ Torrino-Decima, SSD Algarve, Vivere In… APS), technical experts from Risorse per Roma and Roma Servizi per la Mobilità, and the Councillor for Education, Mobility and Participation of Rome’s Municipality IX.

The design proposals discussed included:

• The creation of a permeable green area with a 4-meter-wide access lane for emergency vehicles;

• Installation of a rainwater harvesting tank to be used for irrigating green spaces and school gardens;

• Implementation of shading systems on the building façade to reduce heat accumulation during the summer;

• Introduction of phytoremediation systems to treat water before storage, ensuring safe and sustainable water use.

These interventions will not only improve energy efficiency and water management, but also provide educational opportunities for students, integrating environmental sustainability into the school curriculum.

URWAN: a model for Mediterranean cities and next steps
In the second half of May, a Jane’s Walk will be organized in the neighborhood, inviting community representatives to explore the intervention area. The goal is to build a shared vision of the current state of the site and facilitate future co-design and co-creation efforts.
This is particularly important in a city like Rome, where large urban spaces often mean that residents may not be fully familiar with specific areas—even those near their homes—and may not recognize their full potential.

Upcoming milestones in Rome:

Opening event: held on March 5, 2025

Field visit: second week of May 2025

Co-design workshop and participatory planning: September–November 2025 (after the school reopens and before the winter break)

The URWAN project involves 9 partners from 7 Mediterranean countries, with the goal of developing and replicating innovative solutions for climate adaptation in urban areas. Through participatory approaches and the adoption of NbS, URWAN aims to transform public buildings into “water producers” and promote the creation of multifunctional green spaces that enhance urban quality of life.