All data leads to Rome: how the city is unlocking €1.2B in public asset value with AI

According to McKinsey’s State of AI in 2024 report, 65% of global companies already use generative AI in at least one business function and 72% in at least one operational area. But in real estate, AI adoption remains fragmented. Many organisations still rely on outdated processes, disconnected systems, and manual spreadsheets, slowing decision-making and limiting the value of their portfolios.

One city pushing to change this is Rome. Managing public real estate in a city like Rome with 2,000 years of history is an enormous challenge. Roma Capitale owns one of the world’s most complex public portfolios, made up of tens of thousands of buildings, roads, parks, and cultural sites. Many of these assets are still tracked across multiple disconnected databases, some even on paper, creating gaps in information, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities for economic and social value.

Unlocking the Potential of Rome’s Public Assets

Roma Capitale’s public property stock includes more than 65,000 buildings and 15,000 roads and public spaces. Yet an estimated 30% of this data was mismatched or missing due to incomplete digitisation, fragmented cataloguing, and legacy systems. The cost of this misalignment is significant:

• Over €1.2 billion in unrealised asset value
• Roughly €50 million annually in uncapitalised maintenance work
• Delays in public housing requests and social programmes
• Lost opportunities to leverage assets for credit or reinvestment

The city needed a solution that could centralise and modernise its property data, improve transparency, and enable faster, data-driven decisions, while keeping citizens and communities at the centre.

The Atlas Project: AI and Innovation in Action

In partnership with Ideare S.p.A., Roma Capitale launched the Atlas Project, built on the REFTREE platform – a solution managing over two million assets across Italy.

Atlas integrates with Rome’s accounting and cadastral systems and leverages cloud technologies for scalability and security. The project brings together AI, advanced data modelling (HBIM), and automation to digitise thousands of records and build a centralised, dynamic inventory of the city’s assets.

AI is no longer an experimental option, it is a strategic enabler with the potential to:

• Optimise high-impact activities such as portfolio analysis, document management, and due diligence
• Strengthen alignment between ESG strategy, asset management, and investment planning
• Reduce decision-making time by automating CAPEX scenarios, regulatory validations, and reporting

Through the city’s Geoportal, citizens can now explore public property searching by district, address, or category with intuitive maps and individual property sheets. A new My ERP app will allow tenants to manage payments and maintenance requests digitally, improving services for residents.

A Model for Smarter Cities

€1.2 billion in hidden value has been identified already, with opportunities to unlock further gains. Administrative inefficiencies are being reduced, with early results showing up to 70–80% faster processing times for internal reviews. More importantly, the project is enabling:

• Greater transparency and public trust
• Improved housing services
• Better planning for energy efficiency and sustainability
• Enhanced opportunities to invest in social initiatives and public services

The Atlas Project is not just modernising Rome’s real estate management, it is laying the groundwork for a smarter, more transparent city. With its scalable approach, the project offers a powerful example for other municipalities in Italy and beyond.