Students in the urban studies Rome Workshop, CRP 4160, spend 20 hours per week in neighborhoods exploring public space, urban design, social housing, infrastructure services, immigrant integration, tourism, historic preservation, and economic development. Students meet with professional planners, government officials, community activists, and others responsible for urban policy making. At the end of the semester, each student or student group presents their findings in a Neighborhood Study.

This past spring, students studied the neighborhoods of Montesacro, Corviale, and Tor Marancia. In the first part of the project, students analyzed the neighborhoods. This included a survey of streets, public spaces, and buildings; analysis of census data; interviews with residents and prominent figures; and informal Lynch mapping interviews on the street. These preliminary studies provided the basis for urban design proposals that aimed to provide solutions to priority problems in the neighborhoods. At the end of the semester, proposals were presented to the public at the Cornell in Rome exhibition.