10.6092/issn.3034-8544/18965
“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.
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3034-8544
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Maria Raffaella Lamacchia
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Urbana
Puglia Regione Universitaria
Ongoing Policies. The Puglia Regione Universitaria Project
Text.Serial.Journal
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Keynote
2024-01-25
2024-01-22
2024-01-25
2024-03-20
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Urb
Maria Raffaella Lamacchia
2024/01/25
10.6092/issn.3034-8544/18965
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Puglia Region
3034-8544
1
Puglia Regione Universitaria
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Ongoing Policies. The Puglia Regione Universitaria Project
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                                                                  URBANA Vol. 1, N. 1, 2024              7




Ongoing Policies.
The Puglia Regione Universitaria Project
KEYNOTE SPEAKER


Maria Raffaella Lamacchia

Puglia Region

mr.lamacchia@regione.puglia.it


“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,1 started the inter-institutional project "Puglia
Regione Universitaria: studiare e vivere in città accoglienti e sostenibili”2—
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.
Alongside the inviolable rights of man, including the right to study from
Article 33, Art. 2 of the constitution posits imperative duties of political,
economic, and social solidarity: rights to be enforced and duties to be
fulfilled in both personal and collective terms. The 2015-2020 government
program of the Puglia Region included supporting the right to study
through 100 percent coverage of scholarships for eligible students.3 After
achieving this goal, it immediately appeared as a starting point.
Alongside and thanks to the financial resources, a broader parterre of
resources—administrative, cultural, professional, etc.—had to be
activated to define public policies for guaranteeing those who choose to
study in Apulia the full right-duty of citizenship as an unavoidable aspect
of the right to study. This is because the urban quality of university cities,
in terms of services, sustainability, and cultural offer, constitutes an
important factor of attraction for academic students, and the presence of
a university represents an important resource for the cities and

1
  Lectio Magistralis delivered at the States General of the Right to University Education organized
by ADISU on September 20 and 21, 2018, at the Charles V Castle in Lecce, on the theme:
“University Citizens: studying and living in a sustainable city.”
2
  The general outline of the Project Puglia Regione Universitaria: studiare e vivere in città accoglienti
e sostenibili was approved and it was funded by the Regional Council with DRC 2383 of 19/12/2019.
3
  100% coverage of scholarships for eligible students has been achieved in Puglia since 2016
through a major financial commitment from ESF resources.


                                                                             Copyright 2024 The Author(s)
                                                         This work is licensed under a Creative Commons
https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.3034-8544/18965                         Attribution 4.0 International License
                                                                URBANA Vol. 1, N. 1, 2024             8




territories that host it. Moreover, the relationship between cities and
universities has always been complex since universities, projected by
their mission on global geographic scales, have always related to their
territories and cities by posing themselves as a “foreign body” to coexist
with, in a relationship between equals, which is not easy for either of the
two stakeholders to manage.4
Starting from the regional scale, the theme of “Universities for Cities and
Territories” can be examined from at least three perspectives: (i) the role
of the university, as an educational agency, in the development of human
capital and the local business and administrative fabric; (ii) the
importance of universities as institutional stakeholders and sometimes
real estate players within cities; and (iii) the mutual opportunities that
urban contexts and student-citizens can activate by entering into a
virtuous dialogue.
Concerning the first perspective, in recent years, Puglia Region has
enacted numerous initiatives aimed at strengthening both universities’
teaching offer, funding Type-A researcher positions, PhDs, and third
mission as research grants and summer schools in collaboration with
businesses and public administrations. However, concerning the third
perspective, the Puglia Region has built an innovative path on the
national scene through the Puglia Regione Universitaria project,
combining the right to study with the right to citizenship through an
institutional path at the regional scale aimed at the construction of an
Agenda.
Based on a Protocol Agreement between public administrations—ex-art
15 of L. 241/90—signed in February 2021, the Puglia Region, ADISU, the
Apulian universities—University of Bari, Polytechnic University of Bari,
University of Foggia, University of Salento, Libera Università
Mediterranea—, and the municipal administrations of the university
cities—Bari, Taranto, Lecce, Foggia, and Brindisi—shared the project’s
objectives and methodology. Each university committed to scientifically
investigating a topic on the entire regional territory and assisting the
research of other universities concerning their territorial context; the
municipalities committed to supporting the research activities of the
universities by helping them in policymaking. The Region and ADISU
undertook to coordinate the research under the scientific direction of the
Urban@it research center.5
The strength and innovativeness of the project are, first and foremost,
methodological. It is a participatory path that seeks to bring urban and

4
  Nicola Costantino, “Prefazione”, in Spazi della Conoscenza. Università, città e territori, ed. Nicola
Martinelli (Bari: Adda editore, 2012), 7-9.
5
  For Puglia Region, the following have attended in different roles: Councillor S. Leo, M. R.
Lamacchia, B. Loconsole, A. Maroccia, R. Pastore, and V. Parente; For ADISU Puglia, A. Cataldo,
G. Nuzzo, M. Cataldo, and F. Falsetti attended; for urban@it, Profs. A. Balducci, V. Castellani, V.
Fedeli, and N. Martinelli attended. Specifically, the latter structured the Scientific Secretariat in
Apulia (Mariella Annese – urban@it director; G. Mangialardi – scientific coordinator; A.
Triggiano, C. Danisi, D. Pagano).
                                                                  URBANA Vol. 1, N. 1, 2024             9




university systems into dialogue with a view to shared planning at the
regional scale. Student organizations, economic and social forces, urban
service managers, and cultural associations are engaged in the reflection,
too. It is a transversal operational research approach, exploring five
themes: (i) University and Right to University Study facilities as an
opportunity for urban regeneration; (ii) The role of the university system
in urban cultural policies and youth policies; (iii) Urban University
Sustainability Agendas with particular reference to the issue of mobility
and energy efficiency; (iv) Innovation in the supply of services for the
Right to University Study; (v) Disability and accessibility of university
facilities and urban spaces6.
In the preliminary stages before the start of the research, the regional
offices reflected at length on the advisability of funding City-University
Strategic Plans to individual cities universities in Apulia in dialogue with
urban@it’s scientific committee. This followed the many research works
that have studied the issue at the urban scale but finally opted for the
construction of a project at the regional scale, considering that many of
the discussed issues transcended the urban perimeter of university cities.
For example, students demanded suburban transportation services and
co-studying spaces in their home cities, in addition to services for out-of-
town students in university cities.
Initially, a structured research network among well-defined actors was
planned: it involved the Region, with its Agency for the Right to
University Study, the four public universities, and the Cities where the
universities are located. However, the prominence of a broader range of
actors within the institutional research path became clear from the start.
This includes, for example, some cities, such as Taranto, Brindisi, and
Tricase, that host teaching sites and aspire to qualify as university towns;
private universities; music conservatories; some provincial bodies; and a
wider array of urban centers that have recognized the value of the
presence of university students in their communities. These actors, in
their various capacities, have become part of what has been configured
as a “cloud” with blurred contours rather than a network, where the
various actors with different roles build relationships that are not always
linear and not always biunivocal within an unprecedented scale for this
type of research, that is, the regional one.
Therefore, the investigation was set up by delving into research themes
at different scales of intervention—the building, the city, the inter-
municipal territory, the region7—and identifying three types of cities to

6
  The research groups were respectively coordinated by Prof. M. Montemurro – Polytechnic
University of Bari; Prof. G. Volpe - University of Bari; Prof. M. A. Aiello – University of Salento;
Prof. F. Fanizza – University of Foggia; Prof. A. Tarzia - Libera Università Mediterranea.
7
  The scales of intervention considered were (i) the building for interventions affecting the
individual building, teaching facility, residence hall, study hall, etc.; (ii) the city for interventions
affecting urban space, urban-scale transportation; (iii) the inter-municipal territory for
interventions affecting extended territories, such as suburban transportation; (iv) the region for
interventions affecting the entire regional university and territorial system.
                                                               URBANA Vol. 1, N. 1, 2024            10




focus attention on; the classic distinction found in the literature between
university cities and cities with universities8 was juxtaposed with a
typification into (i) university cities, provincial capitals that are home to
universities—Bari, Foggia, and Lecce—or with important teaching sites
and university facilities—Taranto and Brindisi—; (ii) cities with teaching
sites or small private universities: medium-sized cities with a few
teaching sites and/or university facilities—Casamassima, Tricase, etc.—;
(iii) cities with university students: medium and small urban centers
without teaching sites but with university students who need services and
spaces dedicated to them.
Puglia Regione Universitaria is configured as an action research project.
On the impetus of the scientific coordination of urban@it, always aimed
at providing policymakers with concrete proposals for action on the main
issues affecting urban policies, several “flagship projects” have been
launched. The ones where scientific-institutional dialogue has produced
the most tangible results are those on student housing in university cities,
also because of the attention given to the issue by the NRRP. Indeed, its
targets include the increase in student housing places9 by funding the
acquisition of properties already structured to accommodate students
and the opportunities offered by the publication of the Fifth Ministerial
Call of Law 338/2000, which finances interventions for the construction
of housing and residences for university students primarily through the
conversion of abandoned properties, but other opportunities and calls
aimed at urban regeneration such as PINQuAs.
Puglia Region wanted to participate in a structured way in the Fifth Call
of the L. 338/200010. Downstream of a participatory process of territorial
consultation with universities and municipalities, initiated in 2021, the
Department of Education and Universities has asked municipalities and
universities in Puglia to identify disused properties in strategic urban
locations. In collaboration with the Regional Agencies for the Right to
University Study-ADISU and for the Ecosustainable Development of the
Territory-ASSET, it has launched some two-stage open design
competitions11 to ensure adequate participation and design quality.
Indeed, this incorporated the awareness that competing by comparing
ideas is the main guarantee of achieving quality in architectural works
and ensuring the quality of the urban and social environment where they

8
  Francesco Indovina. “Sinergia tra comunità e università,” Archivio di studi urbani e regionali 60/61
(1998): 85-114.
9
  The National Recovery and Resilience Plan has allocated 960 million to increase the number of
college student housing from the current 40,000 to over 100,000 by 2026.
10
   By DM no. 1257 of Nov. 30, 2021, the Fifth Call for Projects was issued in implementation of Law
338/2000, which provides co-financing of up to 75 percent for interventions aimed at the
construction of housing and residences for university students.
11
   Specifically, the subject of the agreement concerns the fulfillment, pursuant to Art. 152 et seq.
of D. Lgs. 50/2016 and R.L. 14/2008 “Misure a sostegno della qualità delle opere di architettura e di
trasformazione del territorio” of a design competition, whose object is to acquire a technical and
economic feasibility project, with the contracting station reserving the right to entrust the winner
with the assignment of the design of the final and executive projects and the supervision of works.
                                                                URBANA Vol. 1, N. 1, 2024             11




are located. Three of these competitions have been concluded: the
former convent of the Carmelitani Scalzi in Lecce, Palazzo Frisini in
Taranto, and Palazzo Cassa Mutua Artigiani in Brindisi. The resulting
projects were evaluated according to the quality of the architectural
solutions respecting the historical-architectural values of the building,
but also, above all, the spatial integration of the building with the urban
context. This also led to a focus on the presence of “threshold spaces”
open to the city—courtyards, arcades, co-working spaces, catering
services, auditoriums, gyms, etc.—, articulation of the transition between
public, collective, and private space, flexibility of housing solutions in
terms of typology, quality of attached open spaces, and compliance with
green principles. All the projects submitted to both the first and second
stages were published in as many booklets to restore the plurality and
richness of a collective reflection12.
Alongside this, the opportunity to work on raising the quality of the
design of spaces for socialization—common spaces and open spaces—in
existing university residences was seized. This occurred through in-
depth design activities by launching an initial experiment on redesigning
common spaces and expanding the Ennio De Giorgi residence in Lecce.
Bari Polytechnic University conducted a preliminary typological study as
part of the Puglia Regione Universitaria research project. Then, a
participatory design workshop was held in September 202113. Finally, a
project was accomplished: in addition to providing new housing places,
it proposes redesigning common spaces and public spaces. This
participatory process was shared with young graduates of the Faculties of
Engineering and Architecture of the Puglia Region, students living in the
university residences, the neighborhood’s community, and the cultural
association Sud Est, which manages the adjoining Manifatture Knos. A
creative dialogue was opened with the latter, aimed at active
participation and the narration of the identity of that place. The Lecce
City Council approved the project with the recommendation to ensure the
usability of open spaces for neighborhood residents. This need for
integration seals the achieved awareness of a necessary opening of
student housing facilities in the city.
The participatory and confrontational process promoted as part of Puglia
Regione Universitaria has already led to greater synergy among the
institutions involved from its earliest stages. In particular, the regional
administration and the Agency for the Right to Study were invited by the

12
   AA.VV. (2022), La residenza universitaria nell’ex convento dei Carmelitani Scalzi a Lecce, Mario Adda
Editore; AA.VV. (2022), La residenza universitaria nel Palazzo Frisini già Betrotrofio a Taranto, Mario
Adda Editore; AA.VV. (2022), La residenza universitaria nel Palazzo Cassa Mutua Artigiani a Brindisi,
Mario Adda Editore.
13
   As an implementation of the provisions of the Regional Council’s DGR 2187 of 12/29/2020, ADISU
Puglia, together with Puglia Region and the Municipality of Lecce, organized “Fuori sede - Design
Workshop for Temporary Housing of University Citizens” which was held on September 28/29/30,
2021. Starting from the presentation of a series of case studies, future scenarios were imagined,
and the Guidelines for the design of the university residence extension were drawn.
                                                           URBANA Vol. 1, N. 1, 2024          12




city administrations of Brindisi Taranto and Lecce, engaged in drafting
urban redevelopment projects to be submitted to PINQuA 14, to share the
path of integrating the university function in the city. This was aimed at
achieving the project’s primary objectives: redeveloping urban centers,
reducing housing discomfort, and promoting social inclusion 15. In the
application process, Puglia Region and ADISU expressed their interest in
managing student services in refurbished buildings, even with a small
number of housing places, though that is not particularly convenient in
terms of management. The goal is to experiment with a model of
integration between the university system and the city, between students
and the city community.
One more opportunity to enhance the strategies devised along the
research path appeared with “perfect timing”, as stated by the involved
researchers and participants. With DM n. 1046/2022 and subsequent DM
no. 1252/2022, the MUR launched the two calls for proposals from NRRP
funds to purchase or lease facilities ready to be used as university
residences. Through ADISU, issuing an expression of interest, Puglia
Region chose to set some simple localization rules of “proximity”—max 3
km from railway stations and 2 km from educational venues—, size—max
250 accommodation places—, and quality—presence of collective
spaces—; on the other hand, the private market, to which these NRRP
calls were also aimed, proposed venues outside of these rules. Their
effects on the city-university system will be the subject of careful
observation in the near future to avert the possibility that the large
availability of resources put forth by the NRRP may produce perverse
effects of separation and gentrification in the absence of a clear public
strategy.
In conclusion, Puglia Region and ADISU thank the entire
interinstitutional network of Puglia Regione Universitaria, and, in
particular, urban@it. By its own mission, the latter engages in dialogue
with those who work in public administrations, not only transferring to
them expert knowledge useful for policy formulation and
implementation but accompanying them to reflect in an original and
creative way on the procedures they deal with. We hope that paths of
applied research, such as the one recounted in this contribution, may



14
   The Programma Innovativo Nazionale sulla Qualità dell’Abitare (PINQuA, National Innovative
Program on Housing Quality), referred to in DIM 395/2020, is funded by the NRRP and aims to
reduce suburban decay, make public housing more energy efficient, and carry out urban
regeneration interventions to improve people’s quality of life.
15
   The collaboration with the City of Lecce involves student residences within a mix of housing
solutions in the building to be used as a solidarity condominium, “Ex tubercular sanatorium
Antonio Galateo.” The collaboration with the City of Brindisi involves a few dozen beds and a
student cafeteria within a program of interventions aimed at constructing the new “University of
Brindisi” building complex. Finally, the collaboration with the Municipality of Taranto involves
the management of university residences planned within a noble palace located within the
Program of urban redevelopment and regeneration interventions within the Old City.
                                                                URBANA Vol. 1, N. 1, 2024             13




lead to the rise of what, paraphrasing Schön16, we might call a new
generation of reflexive bureaucrats. They shall be capable of
transforming the contradictions of bureaucracy into opportunities for
the country may be born, aware that, as Franco Cassano teaches, “any
attempt to understand cannot live without a constant experience of
contradiction” and that, therefore, “the experience of insufficiency and
precariousness is the signal for being […] in the heart of the world”17.


References

Cassano, Franco. La contraddizione dentro. Editori Laterza, 2022.

Costantino, Nicola. “Prefazione,” in Spazi della Conoscenza. Università,
città e territori, edited by Nicola Martinelli. Bari: Adda editore, 2012.

Indovina, Francesco. “Sinergia tra comunità e università.” Archivio di
studi urbani e regionali 60/61 (1998): 85-114.

Schön, Donald A. Il professionista riflessivo. Per una nuova epistemologia
della pratica professionale. Translated by Angela Barbanente. Edizioni
Dedalo, 1993.




16
   Donald A Schön. Il professionista riflessivo. Per una nuova epistemologia della pratica professionale,
Edizioni Dedalo, 1993.
17
   Franco Cassano. La contraddizione dentro. Editori Laterza, 2022.
