PhD Programme in Urban Planning, Design and Policy (UPDP) |
Politecnico di Milano PhD School
34° CYCLE CALL FOR ADMISSION

Milan, Italy
APPLICATION DEADLINE | 21 May 2018, 2.00 pm
POSITION WITH A SCHOLARSHIP: no.6 (+ 2 additional positions)
• Politecnico di Milano
• Politecnico di Milano PhD School 
• DAStU - Department of Architecture and Urban Studies

MISSION AND GOALS
The PhD Program in Urban Planning, Design and Policy aims at exploring the significance and the impact of contemporary urban changes and at understanding the way they can be governed through planning, design and policy making activities. The objective of the UPDP Programme is to provide PhD Students with the analytical and interpretative tools and skills together with research/planning/ design methodologies to advance research in the field of urban studies, spatial planning, urban design, urban policy and governance.

On the basis of a multidisciplinary approach, the main objective of both the educational program and the individual research activities is to offer to PhD students a challenging environment, a space for international debate and research, experimentation and innovation.

Moving from this perspective, the PhD Programme is organized in three research areas:
• Urban studies;
• Planning theories and practices;
• Design topics, forms and tools.
These research areas reflect the contents and themes of the ongoing research at DAStU and represent the framework of future proposals. 

By focussing on urban, social, economic and institutional transformations in contemporary cities, the UPDP PhD programme aims at fostering innovative and interdisciplinary research. Particular attention will be given to research proposals dealing with the following themes: 
• Multi-scalar regional urbanization processes;
• Advances and challenges in contemporary planning theory and practice;
• Strategies and tools for land and biodiversity preservation, energy conservation, and natural and technological risk prevention and mitigation;
• Social and economic changes and their effects on spatial processes;
• Tools for the evaluation and management of urban projects.

We encourage also proposals covering topics such as:
• Unchartered boundaries: reconciling administrative districts with everyday urban practices.
• Rethinking governance of environment and landscape resources in the inner areas: new cooperative paradigms beyond admistrative fragmentation.
• Economic and social transformations and their impact on the physical space and on the institutions.
• Demographic change as a major challenge for policy design and urban planning
• Architects, Engineers, Planners: how do the changing urban conditions require to re-design research and professional profiles?
• Spatial mobilities in contemporary cities: practices, politics, projects.
• Urban Form Resilience. Exploring the link between the spatial configuration of places and their ability to adapt and support societal and environmental changes.
• Land use and urban planning in areas affected by multiple hazards. Opportunities and constraints for planning as a relevant non structural mitigation strategy jointly with more traditional, including structural measures
• New structures of spatial and socio-economic inequalities and local welfare policies: social justice, social cohesion, redistribution, promotion of well-being, social investment, sustainability.
• Ageing in different urban contexts, between autonomy and support: issues in housing, care, mobility and social relations.
• Changes in migrations and the cities: policies, practices, places of hospitality, integration, inclusion.

Applicants are requested to fill out the online application form and attach the required documents by May 21th 2018, 2 pm (Italian time zone).

INFORMATION
• The PhD Program in Urban Planning, Design and Policy welcomes foreign and Italian students.
• English is the official language of the program.
• All candidates will be admitted with the basic departmental scholarships, and the specific research subject will be assigned, with the agreement of the candidate and the Board of Professors of the PhD Programme, within the first years of the PhD activity.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT:
• 34th CYCLE Ph.D. CALL 2018/2019 - POLIMI Website
• 34th CYCLE Ph.D. CALL 2018/2019 - DAStU Website  

INFO & CONTACTS:
• School of Doctoral Programs
E: dottorato.ricerca@ceda.polimi.it
• Prof. Paola Pucci | PhD Programme Coordinator 
E: paola.pucci@polimi.it 
• arch. PhD Giulia Fini | PhD Tutor 
E: giulia.fini@polimi.it 

PhD Office at DAStU
• Dr. Marina Bonaventura
E: marina.bonaventura@polimi.it
T. +39.02.2399.5165
• Dr. Manuela Rinaldi 
E: manuela.rinaldi@polimi.it
T. +39.02.2399. 5019