The Paradoxes of the Caring city: ambiguities and ambivalences of care infrastructures under urban austerity
In recent years, the concept of the "caring city" has emerged at the center of contemporary urban and political debate, proposing itself as an alternative model for rethinking urban space starting from the needs of care, proximity, and social justice. However, within contexts dominated by austerity urbanism, care infrastructures risk colliding with deep structural contradictions.
Bringing the work of the two speakers into dialogue, this seminar will seek to highlight the ambivalences and ambiguities of emerging institutional tools, as well as policies and practices of urban space oriented toward care. The goal is to question how it is possible to build and defend community spaces in a context marked by budget constraints, privatization, and growing inequalities, ensuring that the rhetoric of "care" does not turn into a mere cover for the withdrawal of public welfare.
Speakers:
- Federica Gatta, Associate Professor in Urban Planning at PACTE - Institut d'Urbanisme et de Géographie Alpine (UGA). Her work applies an anthropological and political lens to urban regeneration, participatory planning, and the co-management of urban commons across France and Italy
- Neil Turnbull, Lecturer in Urban Design at the Welsh School of Architecture(Cardiff University). His research focuses on the legacies of austerity, the discursive institutions of urban governance, and the spatial ambivalences of Community Asset Transfers (CAT) within the UK context
- Ianira Vassallo, Associate Professor in Urban and Landscape Planning, Department DIST, Politecnico di Torino
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