emotional WEllbeing of generation Z: reconnecting communities and spaces through imperfect health

We-Z’s ambition is to end avoidable mortality linked to anxiety disorders, depression, eating disorders, disruptive behaviour and dissocial disorders, all of which are increasing in Rome’s District III, especially among young people. The project’s main objective is to develop a territorial system to improve capacities for preventing mental health conditions, building an attractive district that is able to trigger the active and self-reflective engagement of young people. Promoting resilience and sustainability, the project relies on co-created circular economy principles and nature-based solutions, and the reuse of materials and buildings.

The project is expected to contribute to achieving the goals of the 2019-2027 European Union Youth Strategy. One key action involves experimenting the development of a new Healing Community that mobilises younger generations, restoring their ability to be the architects of their personal and societal future. 

We-Z’s goals also include the creation of new job opportunities and community organisation in the selected area as result of a health-driven regeneration process. Using a holistic approach, the project reconnects young people with principles of communal life and proximity, shaping an environment that values personal skills, desires, emotional, creative and entrepreneurial thinking.

We-Z supports the regeneration of the Vigne Nuove housing complex, while also contributing to transformation of the surrounding area. Aligned with New European Bauhaus ambitions, the project embeds new ethics and aesthetics of sustainability into the district, updating not only lifestyles but also spatial, cultural, and ecological codes.