Urban Refugee Integration in Rome of Prof. Hajo Neis Summer Program 2019

PEDESTRIAN ACCESS
REFUGEE INTEGRATION
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The current site is completely walled in with few passages to connect
the site to the main street making it hard for pedestrians to walk freely
through and around block.
The site is situated on a large parcel of land that is walled completely around the perimiter
making it inaccessible to the public. The wall serves the purpose for the current
program, a prison, but is poses issues for our new proposed site design as a mixed use
neighborhood with housing for refugees and local Italians. By creating streets that are
pedestrian only streets we can create safe spaces for people to walk, lounge, and interact
without the interference of heavy traffic. By making openings and removing portions
of the wall we can create passages into the site from multiple locations, making the site
accessible from multiple angles.
* * *
By strategically creating openings in the wall, creating pedestrian only
streets, and by reopening through streets adjacent to the site we will
be able to create a site that is easy to navigate and pleasant to walk
through.
* * *
Refugee-only housing complexes keep refugees separate from the local
community and can leave the residents vulnerable to discrimination. These
complexes also stand out as refugee housing projects, so they can be targets
for local anger towards refugees.
If refugees do not feel like they are a part of their community they will have a harder time
integrating into their new home. Because of complex political situations involving mid to
low income countries taking in refugees, locals sometimes feel resentment and even anger
towards refugees, even though these political issues are not their fault. By bringing refugees
into the same housing complex as locals, they can socialize and learn more about each other.
This helps both demographics feel more at ease with each other.
* * *
Create an apartment complex where refugees and locals are next door
neighbors, including more than one type of refugee family.