In this architecture studio we will connect the qualities of the eternal city with the current worldwide issues of housing and urban food systems. Rome and Italy are internationally renowned as hubs for agricultural excellence, industrial food productions, boutique gastro experiences, and governmental involvement in global food security. Italy is home to espresso, gelato, the wide varieties of pizza and pasta, olive oil and wine, and many other globally influential foods. Additionally, robust urban food markets, a 60 billion euro food export industry, the Slow Food Movement, and organizations like the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) all contribute to a complex economic, social, and environmental food system. Meanwhile, Rome is experiencing a housing crisis with exponentially rising rents and a stalled building trend as well as significant impacts (both positive and negative) from short term rental industry, according to a 2024 report from the Centres for European Policy Network. The housing crisis disproportionately affects renters and younger populations. Communities that are integral to urban food experiences – farmers, small food producers, servers, cooks, and shop owners – are all finding it difficult to find secure and affordable housing in the center of Rome.

The idea for this studio is to develop two complementary projects that address these issues: 1. a group (3-4 people) schematic design for a new urban food market and garden at the east end of Ponte Giuseppe Mazzini on top of an existing parking garage along the 16^th century street, Via Giulia; and, 2. a new urban infill building just to the east of the market, with food-related programming on the ground and 1^st floors and collective or co-housing above. This new residential project will address a complex intersection of six streets with direct access to Piazza della Chiesa Nuova to the east and the Tiber River to the west. The first two weeks of studio will focus on group work (3-4 people) to research and propose a schematic design for a new Urban Food Market and associated gardens. Students will then work in smaller groups or as individuals to design the infill project. We will develop a program for the first two floors based on roman experiences, research into food production and food security, and our relationship with the Borromini Institute’s Gustolab. Through studying historic and contemporary responses to urban housing crises, students will also propose an urban housing design response to the emergent needs in Rome. While unifying the two programs together, it is important to find an architectural expression that can take advantage of the qualities of the old city and demands of the new world.