Naples, the Municipality promotes cohousing projects against housing emergency

Finding solutions to the housing emergency that balance the need for housing without distorting urban contexts.

And in particular the historic centres, with that of encouraging the development of activities and natural evolutionary processes is the objective that the administrators of some of the most important Italian cities have set themselves.

Today they had the opportunity to discuss matters with economists during the second round of “Dialogues on Living” promoted by the Municipality of Naples.

The round table, which took place in the Real Albergo dei Poveri, was about “Cohousing, living together in the cities of the future” and opened with greetings from the mayor of Naples Gaetano Manfredi and the city councilor and president of the Urban Planning commission, while it was up to the deputy mayor and councilor for Urban Planning Laura Lieto to draw conclusions from the discussion.

During the works, one of the initiatives launched by the Municipality of Naples was illustrated, which is aimed at creating a form of cohousing in a building on Via Stadera: an experimental project aimed at people who need medical, social or financial assistance and which, on the basis of what has already been done in another building on Via San Nicola a Nilo, in addition to the lack of living space also addresses the challenges of climate change and sustainability.

“I think the time is ripe for a major housing plan in Italy that has the characteristics of modernity, without land consumption but reusing many abandoned areas, with new forms of cohousing because the traditional family is changing and there is a different dynamic with respect to housing needs.

Housing is one of the main issues together with wages, health, education, to build a more equal and just society that gives prospects to all - said Mayor Gaetano Manfredi -. In Naples the housing emergency is also demonstrated by the loss of inhabitants and is linked to various factors including the impact of tourism which has led to a proliferation of B&Bs and holiday homes, taking away housing assets from the city, especially in the historic center".

"We need to work on public policies, under public direction, that meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population, but that has more and more difficulty living, especially in central areas - explained Deputy Mayor Laura Lieto -. We are reforming the Master Plan and one of the lines of work is to use a reserve of public areas and buildings that can be used for a policy of public promotion of forms of living that are necessary and that can also give impetus to the regeneration of the city".