The social impact of urban sprawl in Mediterranean cities. The case of Rome

The intensive process of population redistribution that has taken place in recent decades within the Rome area represents a particular case of Mediterranean urban sprawl. Over the last few decades, high numbers of migrants from abroad have come to Rome, transforming it into a multicultural city. At the same time, an intense process of urban diffusion has spread housing and residents across the huge metropolitan area, in a context of largely absent regional planning and weak accessibility, severely impacting the quality of life of the peri-urban population. The economic crisis in 2008 has had the effect of reversing the process of urban sprawl for the first time since the 1970s, with lower real estate values enabling many families and households to move back towards the city centres and others to stay.