Identifying buildings to house university students and setting firm timelines for the work. That is the request from Domani Motus Liberi, which welcomes the start of a survey of available rooms in San Marino carried out by the State Secretariat for Territory, while urging the Government to follow through with concrete action.
“This is certainly a positive first step, but now we need to move quickly with concrete actions, identifying the sites to be used and setting firm timelines for carrying out the work. Our party calls on the Government to turn this initiative into a virtuous project, also considering the recovery of abandoned buildings and disused accommodation facilities located in the Republic’s Castelli.”
The party links its request to the rise in university enrolments and the need for affordable housing, with adequate services and connections to the University’s campuses. A network of student residences, D-ML argues, would also have an impact on housing availability for residents.
“A network of dedicated housing is indeed essential to effectively meet the needs of university students, offering them affordable rents while at the same time helping to ease pressure on the ordinary rental market. This is a system that therefore also has significant knock-on effects for families and residents,” the statement reads.
Murata, Borgo Maggiore and Città are the areas on which the party calls for attention to be concentrated, without ruling out the other Castelli. The proposal is linked to the broader issue of recovering privately owned buildings left unused for a long time, particularly in cases where owners cannot be located or show no interest in redevelopment.
“We have already put forward amendment proposals in the past to address these situations as well, suggesting that, in the most extreme cases and after adequate attempts at dialogue with the owners, tools based on public interest could be used to restore a social function to these buildings. These proposals, despite the interest shown by the executive, have not yet been taken up, but remain central for us and can no longer be postponed.”
What worries D-ML most is the time needed to make the housing available. The buildings identified could require major renovation or demolition and reconstruction work, meaning immediate solutions would not be possible.
“If it took a whole year just to identify the sites and define the process, the housing emergency would remain exactly where it is in the meantime, weighing on students and citizens alike. We therefore need to pick up the pace on this important process, while naturally respecting institutional procedures.”
The party is therefore calling for operational choices, clearly defined responsibilities and verifiable timelines, stating its willingness to contribute to the process “solely in the interest of students and Sammarinese families, so that this initiative can lead to concrete outcomes and does not turn into yet another announcement with no follow-through.”
