Urban planning in Rome from 1870 to the first world war

City plans are political documents and changes in the content of plans often reflect changes in the urban political environment. At the time of its annexation into a newly unified Italy in 1870, divergent views abouth the future development of Rome began to emerge. The politically dominant views were expressed in city development olans adopted in 1873 and 1883. These plans stressed eastward expansion and the opening up of the pre-1870 portion of the city with new wider streets. The plans, however, were circumvented by building speculators who developed in areas beyond their boundaries. By the turn of the 20th century a reaction to speculative growth emerged resulting in the adoption of the 1909 plan which stressed core area preservation and peripheral open space protection.