From Utopias to Roman residential realities: the golden era of Roman social housing 1919–1932

In the beginning of the twentieth century the Roman political and cultural elite collaborated with labour co-operatives aiming to realize their social utopian visions. As engineers and architects started to collaborate at the Institute of Social Housing of Rome (Instituto per le Case Popolari di Roma, [ICP]) affordable housing spread rapidly around the city centre. Innocenzo Sabbatini (1891–1983) was the most innovative and productive architect of the ICP from 1919 to 1932. Even though the ICP built cost efficiently and rapidly, it managed to create neighbourhoods with personal architectural details, green courtyards, piazzas, and pedestrian streets designed for social encounters. By analyzing Sabbatini’s projects the aim is to understand how the ICP’s strategies changed during the 1920s. Earlier research on Sabbatini’s architecture has analyzed his innovative visual language in numerous districts. However, his last project before leaving the ICP, the Pamphily I (1930–1932), has received little attention. Consequently, this article focuses especially on this enigmatic district. Additionally, the study points out Sabbatini’s importance as a garden designer so as to argue that the gardens he designed for social housing lots continue to invigorate visitors – even in their current state of preservation – not only with their beauty but also sensory-rich experiences.