Introduction or preface

This paper gives an introduction to the presence of military establishments in contemporary Rome and it describes the main processes by which properties no longer used for military purposes are abandoned and converted for civilian uses. After first describing 1990s conversion projects, the paper focuses on 15 properties which have been at the centre of urban planning projects and procedures since 2010. To conclude, the author comments briefly on the Rome Capital experience and the main difficulties concerning the expectations of citizens with regard to the government intervention and the difficult relationship between the timing of urban planning work and that of private sector investment as well as those concerning consensus building.