Rome 1960: Olympic Village
Designed more as a long-term residential solution than as temporary accommodation for athletes, Rome’s Olympic Village experienced decline then regeneration in the decades following the Olympic Games. It is set to undergo further redevelopment.
A showcase of post-war Italian architecture and urban planning, the Olympic Village is a residential area that is home to 6,500 people. Its 33 buildings comprise 1,800 apartments. Situated in the Flaminio district of Rome, in the north of the city, its streets are still named after the famous sporting figures and national delegations that stayed there. They include Via Chile, Via India, Via Nedo Nadi (a celebrated Italian fencer) and Viale Pietro de Coubertin.
Though there have been complaints among residents’ associations about a lack of signage, maintenance and public transport serving the area, .
The Village was built in what was once a run-down part of the city called Campo Parioli. It opened in July 1960 and admitted its first residents after the Games were over. While it experienced a decline in the 1970s following the disbandment of the body responsible for maintaining it, the National State Employees Housing Association, efforts to address issues like crime in the subsequent years have been ongoing.
Regeneration came in the 2000s, thanks in part to the opening of a number of cultural sites and architectural projects in the surrounding area, including the Parco della Musica to the south of the Village in 2002, and the Maxxi National Museum of 21st Century Arts in 2009.