10.6092/issn.3034-8544/18970
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.
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3034-8544
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Daniela De Leo
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Urbana
Civic University
Inclusiveness and Accessibility of University Facilities and Urban Spaces
Text.Serial.Journal
https://urbana.unibo.it/
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2024-01-25
2024-01-22
2024-01-25
2024-03-21
227-228
Urb
Daniela De Leo
2024/01/25
10.6092/issn.3034-8544/18970
227
Federico II University of Naples
3034-8544
1
Civic University
en
228
Inclusiveness and Accessibility of University Facilities and Urban Spaces
https://urbana.unibo.it/article/download/18970/17500
1
                                                            URBANA Vol. 1, N. 1, 2024              227




Inclusiveness     and    Accessibility of
University Facilities and Urban Spaces
CHAIR SESSION 5


Daniela De Leo

University of Naples Federico II

daniela.deleo@unina.it


Europe has dealt with universities and their relationships with the cities
of reference, sensing the value and promoting documents that enhance
the potential of this relationship within a wide range of possibilities for
economic and cultural development. From one side, Universities have
been framed as a driver of development and moreover as important
entrepreneurial subject of transformation not without illusions or
controversy. From the other, scholars such Goddard—2015—introduced
concept as civic university, with interesting insights can be found in both
the work of Newcastle-upon-Tyne as well as there had been important
initiatives such as that of Duke University or Belfast at the time committed
to the construction of a new campus that would serve as a bridge between
the two borders of the conflict. In this framework, very recently the
university as an entrepreneurial subject has found interesting variations
on the theme in Baldwin's critical research on the UniverCity.1 According
to this scholar, Universities, as a growth machines, are producing and
disseminating gentrification, stewarding large police forces, cheating tax
coffers while exploiting low wage Black and Brown labor throughout the
campus, etc.
So far, the research available in Italy have discussed the growing role of
universities in the urban and territorial context of reference that, in some
cases, it has led to the definition of new and different economic-
productive processes based on knowledge. Through case studies on
specific practices, and Universities have been studied in their
relationship with the system of transport, housing and, more generally,
services.2
In addition, the original research presented here lay the groundwork for
the role of universities in creating equitable and just cities: the university
does not act only as an intellectual and critical guide (which is not little)
but offers the possibility to promote and implement transformative
practices based on collaboration and especially on co-design assuming a
proactive role useful to realize single projects but also models for an
inclusive transformation. Then, the issue related to the campus, its

1
  Davarian L. Baldwin, In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower. How Universities Are Plundering Our Cities
(New York: Bold Type Books, 2021).
2
  cf. Martinelli, Savino, Rovigatti, Ricci.
                                                                         Copyright 2024 The Author(s)
                                                     This work is licensed under a Creative Commons
https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.3034-8544/18970                     Attribution 4.0 International License
                                                          URBANA Vol. 1, N. 1, 2024           228



location and its function is a recurring theme with respect to the
relationship between universities and design challenges. Indeed, many
recent works define proposals for a better quality and functionality of the
spaces for the University,3 but also proposal for updating the quality of
the spaces for work, research, teaching such in the project of the
RomeTechnopole.4 Here the regional ecosystem of innovation is open to
comparison with the city of Rome and with the neighborhood of Pietralata
that it will host it.
As a whole, the Italian universities, even if with delay compared to other
European and especially North American universities, are dedicating
themselves to a direction of public engagement through differentiated
and for the moment rather fragmented practices that could produce more
intentional and therefore strong impacts on cities and territories. Thus, it
is important to bet on academic planning not only to design their own
functioning spaces in the city but to give their contribution to the
planning of contexts in favor of the territories and the most vulnerable
people. Public engagement in fact, emphasizes the process of thoroughly
integrating citizens and communities to join in the planning, policy
design and implementation process, as well as citizen science
methodologies, with an element of reciprocity in which the civic partners
enrich both the institution and themselves, shifting towards a needs-
based and rights-based approach. within an exchange that is more about
reciprocity than gift and perspective.


References


De Rossi, Antonio and Deregibus, Carlo. “Forma come strategia, progetto
come tattica / Form as strategy, project as tactics,” in SPAZIALIZZARE
STRATEGIE. Il Masterplan del Politecnico di Torino 2016-2020 /
SPATIALIZING STRATEGIES. The Masterplan of Politecnico di Torino 2016-
2020, edited by Antonio De Rossi, Carlo Deregibus, Emanuele Cavaglion,
Silvia Favaro, Matteo Tempestini and Dalila Tondo. Siracusa:
LetteraVentidue Edizioni, 2020.




3
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gSnLD22kxs
https:// www.vivipolimi.polimi.it/# VIVIPOLIMI
Antonio De Rossi and Carlo Deregibus, “Forma come strategia, progetto come tattica / Form as
Strategy, Project as Tactics” in SPAZIALIZZARE STRATEGIE. Il Masterplan del Politecnico di Torino
2016-2020 / SPATIALIZING STRATEGIES. The Masterplan of Politecnico di Torino 2016-2020, ed.
Antonio De Rossi, Carlo Deregibus, Emanuele Cavaglion, Silvia Favaro, Matteo Tempestini and
Dalila Tondo (Siracusa: LetteraVentidue Edizioni, 2020), 95-101.
4
  https://www.uniroma1.it/it/pagina/rome-technopole.
