As part of an extensive research on Rome’s nonresident population, I propose a mixed-methods research to analyze as deeply as possible this phenomenon that, by definition, eludes statistics. After a brief description of the data that can be drawn from official sources, I present a study that attempts to hold together structural and relational aspects, trends of phenomena at the urban level and motivations and implications at the individual level. Through a questionnaire and subsequent interviews I profile the study participants from the standpoint of origin, level of education, spending capacity and other sociodemographic characteristics; I collect data on housing practices, especially in terms of location, type of housing and housing changes; and I delve the sphere of imaginaries, perceptions, motivations and expectations, which play an important role in processes such as the choice, or need, for temporary living. The chosen methodology thus allows combining aspects related to objective knowledge of the phenomenon with interpretive issues._x000D_
The results show a high propensity for mobility among respondents – the experience of a few months or years in Rome is part of a sequence of temporary experiences in different cities – and much higher educational qualifications than the population average. Specificities then emerge related to the city of Rome, a place that is source of fascination for its millennial history but also unlivable due to the lack of efficient public services and a local economy uncapable of valuing workers. Temporary living thus appears more as a strategy of rent extraction and consumption than a development process for the city and the people involved._x000D_

Barbara Brollo
Università La Sapienza

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ID Abstract: 802