Dwelling In Italy. Space, Economies, Inequalities

Turin, Italy
24th -26th march 2011

Deadline for submit abstract: 15th October 2010

The XIV SIU Conference proposes a broad understanding of dwelling issues and developments incontemporary Italy. Housing and living conditions against the background of new relations between space,the economy and society are the core focus of the event. Contributors will be expected to present researchresults and knowledge which can feed a discussion on: the transformations of cities and territories in a timewhen conditions for politics are being redesigned by economic e social processes; the changes in theframing of relevant public issues as well as a shift in the values that act as guiding principles of public action:citizenship, wellbeing, equity, functionality.

SPACE Until fifteen years ago transformation took place primarily within places where urban diffusion andsprawl occurred. Since a few years, the place of change is the compact city: core cities are affected by urbanvalorization, by dynamics of colonization of their inner areas and brownfields redevelopment. The processrecalls a sort of parody of the growth of the city within the city that was aimed for in the 80’s, in a phase inwhich the urban society started to be obviously non fordist any longer.If the discourse on change focuses nowadays mostly on the compact city, what is occurring in those areaswhich a couple of decades ago were considered places of innovation? What about the large and isotropicextensions of dispersed urbanization, linear conurbations, rural landscapes which were presumed to beaffected by decay?

ECONOMIES The current economic crisis is changing terms and conditions of dwelling and urban living aswell as the framing of related public policies. The crisis is rooted in the most aggressive features of the neoliberaleconomy and is both result and expression of a deep political malaise. Projects and planningpractices are required to develop a new commitment in the public arena and new knowledge. How doeconomic dynamics and trends affect the urban sphere? How do they shape urban space within a processwhich is motivated rather by the further concentration of power then by population growth?Inequalities. In western societies and especially in our country, a rapid increase of inequalities can beobserved. Moreover, the relation between inequalities and space is changing. More then in the past, socialpolarization occurs within the same places, within the same housing areas, within the same buildings. Howdoes the combination of poverty and of wealth at a small scale hide the relations between society andspace? In which way are issues of justice and equity being redefined? How do they translate into urbanforms and spatial arrangements? The conference suggests that these questions and issues represent a valuable field for research andpractice in Architecture and Urban Planning in Europe.The aim of the conference is therefore to raise a critical debate on the forms and conditions of contemporarydwelling in Italy, developing a confrontation and valorizing the variety of research lines that can beconsidered on the frontier.Moreover, the conference intends to foster the discussion on the state of the art of urban research in Italyand on the capability of the academia in contributing to the development of national and local policies, withspecific reference to current experiences, research projects and scientific production.

The Conference will be part of the official program of the events for the celebration of the 150 years of ItalianUnification.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONS:
http://www.planum.net/siu/documents/siu_torino_call.pdf