Research fields

Urbanisation

Keywords:

• Urban transformations,
• Societal challenges,
• Territorial governance,
• Urban inequalities

Urbanisation processes, the production of a multiplicity of urban forms of life and the territorial dynamics, with their social, economic and political dimensions, are at the centre of a global research agenda and policy debate that interrogate and imagine sustainable, just models of development, planning and design as well as urban futures, territorial articulation and governance relations.

We delve into the international debate tackling the broader urban questions that emerge at the intersection between histories, cultures and social relations that produce highly differentiated, locally specific patterns of urban development, urban health, urban transport, urban mobility and their socio-spatial dimensions. In this light, we investigate the role of governance, planning and design as well as the manifold form of interventions that shape territories across scales exploring territorial dynamics and their various dimensions. Our research is focused on the study of urbanisation, urban forms, urban project, urban metabolisms and urban landscapes, inequalities and socio-spatial marginalities. At the same time, it concerns with spatial governance and planning systems, design approaches as well as integrated approaches to the valorisation and management of the natural and built environment across a number of critical, epistemological and geographic perspectives, from Europe to the global context.

Through the adoption of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, we explore both the theoretical and the interpretative dimension of the urban, as well as the definition of policies and plans and the assessment of their impact on society, economy and the environment.

Heritage

keywords:

• Architectural History
• Urban History
• Digital History
• Landscape

We consider heritage as a broad and articulated research field in which different forms of knowledge revolve. Our research investigates at different scales cities, territories and landscapes, the intersection of cultural and natural heritage, techniques and their role, the relationships between tangible and intangible dimensions of the legacy of the past. It proceeds from a historical perspective, focusing on processes and crucial periods, from the Middle Ages to the contemporary age, on conservation and transformation and on policies with innovative methods and approaches, such as Digital Humanities. In our researches, heritage defines a thematic and disciplinary experimentation area in relation to global challenges, such as digital transformation, heritage at risk, the impact of cultural heritage on social inclusion and on transformation processes and sustainable development, also related to climate change risks.

Climate Change

keywords:

• Mainstreaming adaptation
• Land surface processes
• Climate strategies and policies
• Climate-proof planning and design

Climate change is a global phenomenon that will endure over this century and beyond. With the growing dynamics of urbanisation, climate change has already observable impacts on socio-ecological systems, posing significant challenges in developing a broad range of strategies and policies to adapt to current and future effects.

We delve into the international debate working on the interplay between urbanisation dynamics, land surface processes and climate change. Our research is focused on understanding cross-cutting knowledge gaps related to the concept of climate change, inspiring the next frontier of the worldwide research about urban studies and climate change in the frame of the global policies and agreements. The outlook of our works is to come true as a hub for collecting and sharing ground-breaking research on how to answer the challenges posed by the ongoing global transition. We facilitate the discussion on how strengthening multi-level governance to support climate change responses, forwarding mainstreaming adaptation actions into planning tools and design processes. Following this, our knowledge on climate change, its implications, and potential future risks aims to provide policy-makers with an adequate state of knowledge and put forward climate-proof decisions.