Balancing Heritage and Modernity: A Hierarchical Adaptive Approach in Rome’s Cultural Sports Urban Renewal

This research proposes a hierarchical adaptive approach to urban renewal that seeks to reconcile heritage preservation with contemporary functional demands in historic urban environments. Focusing on cultural and sports public facilities in the northwestern urban–rural interface of Rome, the research identifies critical mismatches between facility typologies, user groups, and mobility patterns, including fragmented connectivity, child-exclusionary environments, and unsafe pedestrian–vehicular interactions. A three-tiered intervention framework is developed, comprising minimal intervention for heritage-preserved structures, semi-intervention for high-use contemporary facilities, and full intervention for generic or underutilized buildings and undeveloped land. Using field surveys, GIS-based spatial analysis, and visualized performance metrics, the study evaluates how vertical functional superposition, independent pedestrian systems, and transitional connectors can enhance spatial legibility, accessibility, and social inclusiveness. The results show that hierarchical adaptive renewal improves pedestrian safety, strengthens functional integration between cultural–sports facilities and adjacent residential areas, and activates underused spaces while maintaining the integrity of Rome’s historic fabric. Beyond the case study, the framework offers a transferable model for other high-density historic cities seeking to balance heritage protection, everyday usability, and sustainable urban development.