Climate change in the context of the Agro Pontino
Stretching south-east of Rome, between the Volsci Mountains and the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Agro Pontino can be seen as a palimpsest of successive projects that ended with the ‘integral reclamation’ of 1935.
The conflict between the new towns desired by Mussolini – Latina, Sabaudia and Pontinia – and the drained countryside surrounding them had already emerged after World War II, when the entire region was subject to the Cassa del Mezzogiorno’s development plans.
As local experts point out, the deterioration of water quality, the increase in conflicting water demands for urban and agricultural uses, and the effects of climate change are now becoming increasingly evident. Suffice it to recall the whirlwind of 29 September 2022 that destroyed greenhouses and farms in the area between Sabaudia, Pontinia and San Felice Circeo; the heavy rains of March 2021 also caused flooding in several areas, putting a strain on the drainage canal network.
The case of the Pontine Plain has a transnational relevance as, during the 20th century, other European countries ventured into large-scale agricultural development and colonisation processes.
Objectives
The research aims to identify long-term strategies to increase the overall quality of the living environment in the context of climate change through the identification of European case studies. In particular, it focuses on those areas in which the spatial design incorporates natural and man-made water networks, roads, power grids and infrastructure serving mobility built in the first half of the 20th century.