Urbana

Editorial

Nicola Martinelli, Mariella Annese, Giovanna Mangialardi — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The Volume introduced by this editorial is the first issue of "URBANA. International Journal of Urban Policies and Studies," an open-access peer-reviewed international journal that aims to publish innovative and original papers on the processes and values of socio-spatial complexity of urban policies and practices. URBANA aims to prioritize reflection on the operationalization of public policies for cities and territories; in this perspective, this Volume is peculiarly keen on the role of Italian university institutions and cities, called to deal in various ways with the new challenges of contemporaneity to enable a faster turn toward sustainability and a more potent synergy between the actors involved.

The first Volume takes up and amplifies the issues discussed in December 2022 during the Conference "LE UNIVERSITÀ PER LE CITTÀ E I TERRITORI. Proposte per l’integrazione tra politiche universitarie e politiche urbane" organized in Bari by urban@it, with the sponsorship of the Puglia Region, ADISU Puglia, RUS, and Polytechnic University of Bari, in collaboration with the ArCoD Department of Polytechnic University of Bari.

Ongoing Policies. The Puglia Regione Universitaria Project

Maria Raffaella Lamacchia — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

“The Republic recognizes and guarantees the inviolable rights of the person, both as an individual and in the social groups where human personality is expressed. The Republic expects that the fundamental duties of political, economic, and social solidarity be fulfilled.” A reflection on the Article 2 of the Italian Constitution, offered to us by Valentino Castellani started the inter-institutional project "Puglia Regione Universitaria: studiare e vivere in città accoglienti e sostenibili”— Puglia as a University Region. Studying and living in welcoming and sustainable cities—promoted by the Puglia Region in collaboration with the Regional Agency for the Right to University Study - ADISU, the universities and university cities of Apulia.

Universities as Urban Anchors: Examining the Socio-Economic Impact and Support Dynamics in Italy

Federica Laudisa — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

What does it mean for a city to be a university city? In other words, what impact do universities have on the areas in which they reside? Universities undoubtedly have important direct and indirect effects on local economies. The direct economic effects are driven in large part by the student population. In Piedmont, for instance, a combined total of over 130,000 students are enrolled in the region’s four universities, with 42,000 of them coming from outside the region. That’s roughly the population of a mid-sized Italian town. And according to a 2020 estimate by IRES Piemonte, these 42,000 students spend an average of 800 million euros per year on food, lodging, school supplies, recreational-sports activities, and transportation, determining a substantial economic return to the region. Even more striking is the universities’ indirect economic contribution. According to data from the Rosselli Foundation, universities in the Turin metropolitan area make up the region’s fourth most productive sector in Piedmont in terms of indirect economic impact, ranking just behind the construction, transportation, and agricultural sectors, with a total estimated value of nearly 2 billion euros. The economic advantages of having a university located in the community have not escaped the notice of local administrations, who are eager to encourage the establishment of university programmes not just in large cities, but also in smaller towns.

Tertiary Education Levels in our Country are Insufficient for the Needs of the Contemporary Economy and Society

Gianfranco Viesti — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The text discusses the inadequacy of tertiary education levels in Italy to meet the demands of the contemporary economy and society. The analysis reveals concerning statistics, indicating a significant lag in educational attainment among young Italians, particularly in southern regions. It highlights the economic implications of this educational gap, affecting productivity, entrepreneurship, and overall economic growth. Factors contributing to the low levels of university graduates include meager entry rates into the university system and lower rates of study completion.

University and Right-to-Study Facilities as a Tool for Urban Regeneration

Adolfo Baratta — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Research and contributions from the conference "Universities for Cities and Territories" underscore the evolution of university residences beyond their domestic role. The rehabilitation of existing heritage, coupled with urban regeneration concepts, infuses vitality and economic life into cities while providing valuable spaces and services for citizens. Examples include the creation of libraries, fitness centers, cinemas, and restaurants within student residences, contributing to the city's overall amenities.

Living in the University City. Giancarlo De Carlo and the University Colleges of Urbino

Cinzia Didonna, Lorenzo Renzullo — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The off-campus university student has a particular housing condition: temporary, but for medium-long periods, he is not a resident or a tourist. He is a temporary citizen, he requires adequate services and establishes relationships, he lives the spaces of the city that welcomes him. The city of students and the city of residents are two realities that are sometimes parallel and intertwined, producing wealth and social capital. The research intends to investigate the theme of student living through a paradigmatic project by G. De Carlo, the university colleges of Urbino, emphasizing the relationship between the city of students and the city that welcomes it. The research methodology reinterprets the work from a social point of view, investigating the relationship between the historic city and the campus, analysing the places intended for interactions, connections and collective spaces.

From Evaluation to Monitoring: Multicriteria Indicators and Assessments in Urban Regeneration Triggered by University Residences

Antonella G. Masanotti, Fabrizio Finucci — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The paper outlines the first Ph.D. Research outcomes begun at the Department of Architecture, Roma Tre University. It shows the first critical reasoning according to evaluation tools in the urban regeneration context and redevelopment of the existing built heritage. Law 338/2000 considers general criteria and related to functional and building sizing regarding the requirements of interventions and impact indicators, including social, environmental, and financial impact indicators. According to the final goal of the research, which is the implementation of a multi-criteria and inclusive evaluation tool capable to add all dimension of sustainability and supporting the design process, the contribution exposes, first results regarding the reading of some sets of multi-disciplinary indicators related to university residences and of some sets of indicators related to monitoring them ex-post.

Multiannual Public Intervention Programs for Student Housing and Urban Regeneration

Claudio Piferi — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The growing number of university enrolments and the increase in student mobility have led to a considerable increase in the demand for accommodation in the member states of the European Union over the last twenty years. Many countries have therefore undertaken policies aimed at building university accommodation and residences, through funding plans involving public and private entities.

In Italy, Law no. 338/00 is a first example of an organic multi-year plane that provides state co-financing for measures aimed at building new university student accommodation and residences, also through the extraordinary maintenance, restructuring and purchase of buildings already destined or to be destined for the specific function.

The importance of the regulation is due, among others, to its experimental character, the definition of dimensional standards and the importance given precisely to the recovery of disused existing building stock.

The Role of Urban Cultural and Youth Policies

Giuliano Volpe — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

How does the University contribute to the growth of cultural life and of quality of life in the cities in which it is located? How does it promote the cultural inclusion of those strata of the population increasingly excluded from cultural life? How does it promote the development of cultural and creative enterprise?

Culture represents one of the main keys to reading the relationship between universities and cities: it is the engine of participation, confrontation, and growth in urban communities, especially in the southern regions, where, according to the April 2022 Fair and Sustainable Welfare data, there is a particularly sharp decline in cultural consumption, well below the European average. This is a worrying picture that threatens to undermine the understanding of society's complex problems and the democratic frameworks.

Cinema and the Third Mission. The Case of the Cineclub Universitario in Salento

Laura Ysabella Hernandez Garcia, Alessia Deblasi, Chiara Renna — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The Cineclub of the University of Salento is part of the Third Mission activities of the Department of Cultural Heritage, and of the University of Salento in general. Students from the Bachelor’s Degree Course in Disciplines of Performing Arts and Music and the Master's Degree Course in Performing Arts and Audiovisual Production take part in it, supported by lecturers in the L-ART/06 area.

The purposes of the project, which include the promotion of film culture and audience development, have similarities with those stated in the statute of the Fondazione Apulia Film Commission, and have fostered the relationship between these two social actors, making it possible to hold the Cineclub programming at the Cinelab – “Giuseppe Bertolucci” of the Cineporto of Lecce since 2015. The paper will present and analyze the structure of the “Cineclub Universitario” and its operation, the activities carried out over time and the impact on the territory.

Matera University City? Possible Dialogues

Ida Giulia Presta, Giovanna Mangialardi — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The city is understood as a place intended for the production and dissemination of knowledge, culture and creativity, while the University, represents the place that fosters the transit of knowledge, and individuals, which forms new personalities.

Matera has gone through different conditions in recent years, and in each of these, the University has been a central element in urban dynamics. The paper, therefore, investigates the evolution of the relationship between the University and Matera following the candidacy of the City as the Capital of Culture, the event (2029), and the subsequent epidemiological crisis caused by Covid-19.

The purpose of the contribution is to initiate critical reflections on the dialogue between the two institutions, starting with the role that cultural inhabitants and "new" ways of living have on spatial transformations, to orient policies and/or strategies that can realign supply and demand, and that frame Matera as a university city.

The Apulian University System and Urban and Youth Cultural Policies: Mapping of Resources and First Proposals for an Agenda

Velia Alba Polito, Giuliano Volpe — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The study of the theme “The role of Universities in Urban and Youth Cultural Policies”, within the “Puglia Regione Universitaria” project, was based on the mapping of the cultural resources available in Apulian universities, carried out to assess their accessibility by the university community, their permeability to citizens and their role in terms of improving the quality of urban life.

The survey focused on the direct and active role that Universities play in promoting and producing resources in various areas of culture, in order to estimate their impact on the urban cultural scene and their ability to involve students in the organization and management of cultural events and resources.

The critical issues that emerged from the survey, considered from the perspective of both the referents and students, tend to converge on some recurring problems. These weaknesses were the starting points for the development of a set of proposals for improvement as part of a right-to-education agenda focused on culture.

Urban Sustainability Agendas for Universities

Patrizia Lombardi — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Energy transition, climate adaptation (including green infrastructure), sustainable land use and nature-based solutions, urban mobility, culture and heritage and safety in public spaces, air quality, urban poverty, housing, circular economy, digital transition, inclusion of migrants and refugees, jobs and skills in the local economy, innovative and responsible public procurement are priority themes of the European Urban Agenda. The Urban Agenda can be seen as a virtuous example of multi-level governance, allowing cities to tackle today's challenges directly on the ground and to propose joint actions for better regulation, financing and knowledge exchange. Success in achieving the Urban Agenda is highly dependent on the action and collaboration of all actors in the territorial, institutional and socio-economic system.

Building Sustainability in the Relationship with the Territory. The Cammino del Duca (the Duke’s Way) of the University of Urbino

Nico Bazzoli, Eduardo Barberis, Elisa Lello, Jonathan Pierini, Elena Viganò — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

In the last few decades, universities have experienced a growing integration with their local contexts, playing a fundamental role in urban and regional development processes. In such a context, new forms of convergence between the different missions of universities have also emerged in Italy, aimed at developing and co-creating sustainability in different dimensions through the involvement of local stakeholders. This article aims to highlight the driving role that universities can play in promoting sustainable local economies, moving from the example of the Cammino del Duca [Duke’s Way] – an itinerary defined and promoted by the University of Urbino Carlo Bo in collaboration with the local sections of the Italian Alpine Club (CAI), namely Montefeltro and Gubbio. In particular, this paper pays attention to the organizational process of the Cammino, highlighting its innovative aspects and unresolved critical issues to stimulate a reflection on opportunities and constraints affecting the sustainability policies of universities in interaction with local communities.

RECs as a Tool for Urban and Environmental Regeneration. The Case of Roseto Valfortore

Antonio Basti, Monica Misceo, Elena Di Giuseppe — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

This text explores the theme of CERs (Renewable Energy Communities) and the implications related to their implementation in internal territories and in Minor Historical Centers, from the point of view of their compatibility with the conservation and protection of landscape and urban quality. The study, developed starting from a course of teaching and research collaboration conducted between the Department of Architecture and ENEA, focused on the identification of the legal, regulatory and socio-economic requirements necessary for the establishment of a CER, on the identification of best reference and on the elaboration of a meta-project proposal aimed at defining a virtuous process of accompaniment of local communities. The experience conducted has made it possible to highlight how the establishment of a CER represents an opportunity to enhance and relaunch the territories, which is difficult to circumscribe to the simple implementation of systems, which requires an adequate design approach oriented towards the regeneration and landscape and urban redevelopment.

The University as a Third Space for Collective Reading and Design Intermediate Territories

Martina Massari, Valentina Orioli, Altea Panebianco — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

At a time when the disparities in our country have multiplied, eroding territories generally considered strong, the University is called upon to redefine its role by building new synergies in and for the territory. The contribution reflects on the role of the University of Bologna, Department of Architecture in Cesena (FC) Campus and in particular of the CARTA Laboratory - Città Ambiente Reti Territorio Azioni with respect to the desire to turn Universities into local nodes in the global knowledge network and capable of activating innovative policies in the territory. This is what the Laboratory has been doing for some years now in the Forlì-Cesena area, involving students, administrators and actors in the area in the construction of shared innovative policies and practices.

What Right to Study? A Set of Integrated and Inclusive Policies between the University and the City

Francesca Cognetti — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The right to education has been recognized as a human right in a number of international conventions, among which the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, crucial to ensure the dignity of all individuals. It encompasses the obligation to eliminate discrimination at all levels of the educational system, including the university system. The right to study is also provided by Article 34 of the Italian Constitution, in the framework of the fundamental constitutional principles, constitutional judgments and State and Regional legislation.

Puglia Regione Universitaria Project as Action Research

Marco Cataldo, Cristina Danisi, Giovanna Mangialardi, Alessandra Maroccia — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

In order to explore the unreleased declination of the relationship between the urban and the university system, the contribution aims to analyze the “flagship projects” of the regional research “PUGLIA REGIONE UNIVERSITARIA. Studiare e vivere in città accoglienti e sostenibili” verifying the impacts on the regional territory, practices, and community.
As an example of research action project, the “flagship projects” and their verification are configured as the “active” part of the research, able to produce real effects and tangible impacts on the territory, with the aim of producing positive changes on reality. They belong to the third phase of the research, the more operational one, as application proposals, small experiments, funded and implemented by the proposing institutions, based on the knowledge framework developed in the previous phases of the project and returning a first, tangible feedback on the territories involved.

The knowledge systematization of the “flagship projects” concluded, in progress and in the planning stage, could be useful for to extrapolate generalizable and replicable research action guidelines, new territorial policies and innovative choices in terms of right to university study.

Universities and Local Communities: Research, Training and Networking in the Field of Legality and Mafias, for the Right to Informed Knowledge

Anna Maria Zaccaria, Stefano D'Alfonso — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

This paper focuses on the commitment of Italian universities to training on legality and research on mafias. This commitment aims to guarantee students the right to informed knowledge, based on research and scientific reflection, of mafia phenomena. This is particularly important given that public opinion and the media often offer a distorted representation of organized crime phenomena, sometimes even dangerously downplaying their severity. The data underlying our reflections come from a Review of University Teaching and Research, which was created by the Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Research on Mafia and Corruption (LIRMAC) at the University Federico II. This review is a valuable resource that highlights the presence of a dedicated training offer, consisting of experts and research groups active within each university or across universities, which serve as expert channels of access to scientific knowledge of Mafia phenomena.

Inclusiveness and Accessibility of University Facilities and Urban Spaces

Daniela De Leo — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

This study examines the evolving relationship between European universities and their respective cities, exploring the multifaceted impact on economic and cultural development. The narrative encompasses the dual roles of universities as drivers of development and controversial entrepreneurial entities, drawing inspiration from concepts like the civic university.

Regenerating Fragile Territories through the University. The Case of the New University Campus in Scampia, Naples

Giovanni Laino — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

In the great transformation that is affecting the production, reproduction and socialisation of knowledge, the university is inevitably involved in an epochal transition because of its social function and a strong pressure to corporatise. Nevertheless, some universities have not only tried to open their doors to the local community but are also implementing intervention strategies on the ground to contribute to the institution's social potential and to offer new forms of research and teaching. Using third mission activities to enhance the institution’s reputation and attract funding, in recent years, many universities have developed strategic plans and initiatives that reflect a real opening up to the territories. This paper focuses on the case of Naples, and in particular the Federico II University, which has received much praise for building a new campus in the suburbs, the results of which have yet to be evaluated.

The City/University Link beyond Proximity: a Learning Experience between Climate Adaptation Strategies and Civic Activism

Stefania Marini, Klarissa Pica, Carla Tedesco — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

In recent years, in Italy, the increasing role of Universities’ third mission fostered public engagement activities carried out by universities in the field of urban planning and policy. This followed a broad scientific debate on university/city relationships. Within this framework, this contribution focuses on the role that the university plays as an urban actor in (multi)local activation processes in the field of bottom-up urban regeneration and climate change adaptation. It draws on the Academy initiative experience, developed within the CLIM-ACT! program promoted in Verona by a network of actors including Iuav University of Venice. This project aimed at building knowledge at the intersection between environmental sustainability and civic activism.

New Forms of Relationships Between the University and the City: Padua, the UnicityLab Project, and the Idea of an Urban Center

Michelangelo Savino, Patrizia Messina, Lorenza Perini — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100

UNICITYLab (2019-2022) has been an interesting three-year experience of interdepartmental and interdisciplinary cooperation taking place at the University of Padua, which sought to study and analyse the forms and effects of the presence of a pluricentennial university in a medium-sized city. The UNICITYLab activities – beyond the exploration of the characteristics and conditions of the context –have been devoted to a crucial examination of the relationships between the two chief institutions in the City and their mutual policies to cope with emerging problems. It results in a lack of information about processes in progress or institutional and non-institutional networks; a general misunderstanding about issues to manage; no awareness about the need of cooperation. UNICITYLab has worked to present evidence of the situation and the need to put forward proposals for an innovative and incisive action, with the definition of a different role from the past, proactive, open, and collaborative, in the system of local relations. The organisation of a new place for discussion, collaboration, and co-planning, which we call the “Urban Centre” in a simplified way, currently seems to be a feasible solution.