The project concerns the conversion of an unfinished university residence in Mungivacca, Bari, into housing for public and social use. The complex was originally planned to provide 100 homes for students at the University of Bari and Polytechnic University of Bari, but construction was never completed following legal proceedings involving the contractor. 1
The City of Bari’s municipal council approved an initial policy direction for the change of use. The measure assigns the city’s Property Department responsibility for the administrative steps and calls for the relevant urban-planning variation to be prepared. 1 The scheme provides for 100 homes: 50 public-housing units (ERP) and 50 social-housing units (ERS). The social-housing homes are intended particularly for young couples and single-income households unable to qualify for ERP but struggling with private-market rents. Shops and equipped spaces are also planned. 1
The site’s history dates to the area’s detailed plan, approved in 2001. In 2003, the municipality granted the Istituto Autonomo delle Case Popolari the right to build on the land through an agreement. The city later pursued conversion, including a 2022 council resolution supporting housing for specific social groups and social housing. 1
The municipality is the public authority leading the change of use, working with the regional housing agency Arca Puglia Centrale and the Region of Puglia. Bari mayor Vito Leccese and Arca Puglia Centrale’s sole administrator, Piero De Nicolo, are among the officials cited in connection with the initiative. 1 The article reports that procedures for launching tenders were nearing completion, while the agency expressed hope that construction could begin soon. 1