Based on the development of a dense urban fabric around railway infrastructures, the 'cura del ferro' (or the rail solution) introduced in Rome between 1993 and 2008 subscribes to the 'Rhine urban model' as a new paradigm for urban planning in major European cities. However, in Rome, urban densification has come up against numerous obstacles: desynchronized developments, institutional conflicts and discrepancies between planning documents and the operational scope of public stakeholders. This case study points to the need to plan sustainable public policies in the light of territorial legacies.