Rain(e)scape. The presence of water as order and figure. The case study of stagni di Levante in Ostia

Abstract

Stagni di Levante in Ostia is a reclaimed area with high risk of flooding: a flat territory where is an inhomogeneous fabric of single-family houses, a low-density horizontal landscape devoid of services and public green areas. In Urbanistic Plan (PRG), the zone is defined as “unplanned or spontaneous nucleus”, but it borders to the north with planned districts. The research unit has connected these two different types of settlement, introducing elements of verticality and functional mixité in a horizontal and mono-functional area; at the same time, the project aims to characterize the huge mass of agricultural soil and to solve the problem of frequent flooding, determined by the overabundant seasonal rains.