Vittorio Emiliani 
Corriere della Sera-Roma
November 01, 2002

When people discuss Rome's population, the old cliché still stands: "We are
3 to 4 million people." In reality, some 20 years ago the figure hit its
high point of 3 million, closing a frenzied period of growth that had
started back in 1870, when the capital counted only 212,000 residents. After
that, like most big cities of the North, Rome began gradually losing
inhabitants - though not as fast as other towns, since the city's territory
is 10 times the size of Turin's and eight times larger than Milan's.
.
What is going on? It is important to understand that in order to make
decisions concerning urban planning, construction, health care,
transportation - and not just in Rome.
.
In the past 10 years, Rome has lost 12 percent of its residents, or 315,474
people. Something similar has happened to all major Italian cities, with
Cagliari, which has lost a fourth of its residents since 1991, posting the
record slump. Venice and Milan each lost roughly 15 percent, with the
Lombard capital now having shrunk to under 1.2 million residents. Turin
currently counts 900,000 inhabitants and Genoa 603,000.
.
Rome, for its part, is down to 2.5 million residents. That is the real
number to consider when making decisions.
.
The novelty in the capital is that this past decade also saw a decrease in
the number of people living in Rome's immediate outskirts. Today, the figure
is just over 3 million, 278,559 down from the figure a decade ago. This
phenomenon is also widespread across most big Italian cities, except for
Bari and Catania.
.
The only areas recording population growth, therefore, are the small,
suburban towns scattered around Rome. Overall, these towns count a total of
576,000 people, or almost as many as the inhabitants of a big city like
Genoa. That figure has grown by 37,000 since 1991.
.
This means that if new homes have to be built, they should be built in those
towns and not on Rome's territory, which has already lost a big chunk of its
farmland; it means that if local administrations plan to redesign the health
care system, they should realize that concentrating all the clinics in the
city makes little sense, especially for the numerous senior citizens who
need home assistance or centers near their homes; and it means that if
administrators want to strengthen the transportation network, they should
focus on extending the regional railway system rather than city buses and
trams.
.
In Rome, the birth rate is today much lower than in the South, where it has
also dropped. Indeed, it is closer to the North's figures: in Rome, the rate
is 9.4 births for every 1,000 inhabitants, while in Milan, the current rate
is 9.3 and growing. In Naples it is 12.7.
.
Another occurrence that Rome administrators should keep an eye on is the
decrease in the number of families in the city and the number of people in
each family (now averaging 2.4, with a growing number of single people).
.
All this is worrisome. First of all, it determines a decrease in the number
of homes in Rome and a corresponding growth in the number of offices, banks
and so on, which in turn makes the city turn off its lights at night to
become a desert of passersby and lonely people.
.
Second, the city center is now practically devoid of permanent inhabitants,
replaced by temporary residents or more offices, salons and studios.
.
Third, rent rates are sky-high, the center is a deafening night-club haven
open until dawn and prices keep growing.
.
This way, the historic center turns into a theater's backstage, while the
suburbs brace for a new flow of cement.

< < Back to Start of Article When people discuss Rome's population, the old
cliché still stands: "We are 3 to 4 million people." In reality, some 20
years ago the figure hit its high point of 3 million, closing a frenzied
period of growth that had started back in 1870, when the capital counted
only 212,000 residents. After that, like most big cities of the North, Rome
began gradually losing inhabitants - though not as fast as other towns,
since the city's territory is 10 times the size of Turin's and eight times
larger than Milan's.
.
What is going on? It is important to understand that in order to make
decisions concerning urban planning, construction, health care,
transportation - and not just in Rome.
.
In the past 10 years, Rome has lost 12 percent of its residents, or 315,474
people. Something similar has happened to all major Italian cities, with
Cagliari, which has lost a fourth of its residents since 1991, posting the
record slump. Venice and Milan each lost roughly 15 percent, with the
Lombard capital now having shrunk to under 1.2 million residents. Turin
currently counts 900,000 inhabitants and Genoa 603,000.
.
Rome, for its part, is down to 2.5 million residents. That is the real
number to consider when making decisions.
.
The novelty in the capital is that this past decade also saw a decrease in
the number of people living in Rome's immediate outskirts. Today, the figure
is just over 3 million, 278,559 down from the figure a decade ago. This
phenomenon is also widespread across most big Italian cities, except for
Bari and Catania.
.
The only areas recording population growth, therefore, are the small,
suburban towns scattered around Rome. Overall, these towns count a total of
576,000 people, or almost as many as the inhabitants of a big city like
Genoa. That figure has grown by 37,000 since 1991.
.
This means that if new homes have to be built, they should be built in those
towns and not on Rome's territory, which has already lost a big chunk of its
farmland; it means that if local administrations plan to redesign the health
care system, they should realize that concentrating all the clinics in the
city makes little sense, especially for the numerous senior citizens who
need home assistance or centers near their homes; and it means that if
administrators want to strengthen the transportation network, they should
focus on extending the regional railway system rather than city buses and
trams.
.
In Rome, the birth rate is today much lower than in the South, where it has
also dropped. Indeed, it is closer to the North's figures: in Rome, the rate
is 9.4 births for every 1,000 inhabitants, while in Milan, the current rate
is 9.3 and growing. In Naples it is 12.7.
.
Another occurrence that Rome administrators should keep an eye on is the
decrease in the number of families in the city and the number of people in
each family (now averaging 2.4, with a growing number of single people).
.
All this is worrisome. First of all, it determines a decrease in the number
of homes in Rome and a corresponding growth in the number of offices, banks
and so on, which in turn makes the city turn off its lights at night to
become a desert of passersby and lonely people.
.
Second, the city center is now practically devoid of permanent inhabitants,
replaced by temporary residents or more offices, salons and studios.
.
Third, rent rates are sky-high, the center is a deafening night-club haven

open until dawn and prices keep growing.
.
This way, the historic center turns into a theater's backstage, while the
suburbs brace for a new flow of cement.