The new large Bertalia-Lazaretto district, currently being built in the northwest area of the city, once completed, will host 2,000 new housing units, as well as new facilities for the university, oices, stores and public spaces.
The first residential “island” in the south-east area (near Via Terracini) has been completed for some time now, but the works for the rest of the district have delayed several times over the past years for a number of reasons, including a town planning layout that requires specific infrastructure, the crisis of the building market and the reorganization of the University in the area. In 2016, a review of the town planning tools highlighted a series of applicable regulations and project requirements necessary to complete the works in this important part of the city, in particular to create the best possible technical and regulatory pre-conditions to incentivize and further facilitate public and private investment to ease and accelerate as far as possible the conditions of real feasibility for the plots.
The works on the university building in the area concern about 25.000 mq to be used for lecture rooms, dorms and other services for students to be added to the existing university facilities in Via Terracini.
The Bertalia hub is one of the most modern complexes of the University of Bologna. Once completed, it will host two dorms with over 400 beds; a building for the activities of the Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering (DICAM) and to part of the activities of the Department of Architecture (DA); a service facility including lecture rooms, computer labs, gym and study rooms. The University will also have to build the roads, car parks and green areas for the whole district, to connect the university facilities with via Terracini, in continuity with the existing buildings and those being built in the area.
With regard to mobility, the Lazzaretto will be the intermediate stop of the People Mover, the monorail shuttle for the fast connection between Airport and railway station currently under construction. Moreover, the project for the enhancement of the Bologna beltway-high-way system with the Bologna junction envisages the realization of a new exit to Lazzaretto with relevant connection to Via Sabena and to the south-west axis to Casalecchio di Reno.