Episode two: "Finding our place: Urban studies and planning – ambiguous boundaries, contested limits" is almost here! In this episode, Alessandro Maisano and Ruggero Signoroni kick off the discussion about urban studies and planning trying to define them as disciplinary fields by exploring their boundaries and limits
To explore this topic, they spoke with:
Carolina Pacchi - Vice Rector for Institutional and Community Relations, Professor of Urban Planning, DAStU, Politecnico di Milano. With her they have discussed the role of education and training, after trying to define what urban studies and planning are.
Bertrando Bonfantini – Professor of Urban Planning, DAStU, Politecnico di Milano. He’s helped them separating urban studies from urban planning, urban policy and urban design. He’s also shed light on the role of universities as scientific educational institutions and their deontological responsibilities in shaping future professionals.
Gabriele Pasqui - Professor of Urban Policies and Planning, DAStU, Politecnico di Milano. He’s stressed the transdisciplinarity of urban studies, rather than its multi- or inter-disciplinarity.
Alessandro Coppola – Associate Professor of Urban Planning, DAStU, Politecnico di Milano. His contribution has emphasized how urban studies are fundamentally rooted in academia, while planning stemmed as a body of practices grounded in administrative practice. With him they've also touched on the role of activism.
Peter Lacoere – Visiting Professor at UULP, KU Leuven and Lecturer and Researcher at HOGENT. He’s pointed out how there are substantial geographical differences in the way urban studies and planning have evolved, and how these traditions heavily influence current approaches. His contribution has been essential in highlighting the role (and rationales) of different actors and stakeholders, and how all urban-related decisions are intrinsically political.
Andrea Benedini – PhD candidate, DAStU, Politecnico di Milano. While stressing the need for specialization, often pursued through the hybridization of different domains, his contribution led them to reflect on the dynamic nature of our fields.
Rossella Asja Lucrezia Ferro – PhD student in Urban Planning at GSAPP, Columbia University. Her contribution has shed light on the different subdomains existing in both planning and urban studies emphasizing the importance of self-reflection and ethics in our actions.
Michelangelo Fusi – PhD candidate, DICATAM, University of Brescia. He’s shed light on the importance of specialization in training and education. Nevertheless, while “finding one’s niche” is crucial in today’s society, he advocates for a better collaboration between different figures.
Dino Barra – activist in Milan and high school professor of philosophy and history. During their interview, he’s emphasized the political nature of urban issues and the role of activism in framing and resolving such problems.