Ruth W. Lo
This project focuses on the intersections of food, architecture, and urbanism in Rome between 1907 and 1943 by examining the city’s network of markets. It analyzes how the Italian State and Rome’s municipal government utilized the built environment to manage the complex relationships between the nation, city, food, and citizens. These connections were intricate at this time due to massive reorganization schemes, first undertaken by the mayor Nathan for sanitation, then by the fascist Governatorato to accommodate Mussolini's building activities. This interdisciplinary study proposes an alternative way of understanding the formation of Rome’s urbanism by examining the patterns of food provisioning. It analyzes the ways in which Rome’s dispersed markets physically, socially, economically, and politically integrated into the city. The main areas of study include sanitation, transportation, design, technology, and ephemeral architecture. The project also looks at race, gender, and class.