RECLAIMING THE PARALLEL CITY

RECLAIMING THE PARALLEL CITY
Academic project — Research

This project explores Naples’ underground infrastructure as a parallel city, transforming forgotten tunnels and cavities into a civic and social asset. Rather than treating these spaces as marginal, the proposal reimagines them as a modular, adaptable layer that supports mobility, social interaction, and climate-conscious inhabitation.

Rooted in a manifesto for spatial justice, the project focuses on three strategies: accessible connections linking upper and lower cities, enhanced environmental conditions with natural light, ventilation, and geothermal regulation, and flexible, dismantlable systems for public and social activities.

By integrating heritage, infrastructure, and future resilience, the underground network becomes a vital extension of the city. The project addresses mobility, shelter, water management, and community gathering while respecting Naples’ layered history.

Reclaiming the Parallel City proposes a radical urban reinvention: granting citizens the right to inhabit, engage with, and reclaim the subterranean, transforming leftover spaces into a shared, vital part of the city’s future.