Urbinary

Il Workshop Younger SIU 2025 ha lavorato ad un’analisi analitico-progettuale del concetto di ‘publicness’ a partire dal caso emblematico del nodo logistico di Piacenza.   Per raccontarlo, intrecciamo le nostre riflessioni con quelle dei partecipanti, e audio raccolti durante un sopralluogo commentato nel polo Le Mose.

Il primo episodio di  Publicness, in teoria e in pratica  introduce il tema della  publicness  a partire dalle riflessioni sviluppate durante la XXVII Conferenza della Società Italiana degli Urbanisti. Attraverso le voci di Maria Antonella Bruzzese, Gabriele Pasqui e Cristina Bianchetti, l’episodio attraversa alcuni dei principali nodi teorici legati alla dimensione pubblica contemporanea: il rapp...

Groundwater protection in Denmark has become a growing source of conflict. Through the case of BNBOs - protection zones around drinking water wells - the episode explores how environmental regulation reshapes agricultural practices, land use, and property relations. Tracing the frictions between agro-industrial metabolism and environmental protection, it asks who ultimately absorbsthe costs of sus...

Venice has always lived with water. But after the catastrophic flood of 1966, that uneasy coexistence increasingly came to be governed through large-scale technological control. Through the controversial history of the MOSE barriers, the episode explores how infrastructures reorganize socio-natural relations and transform the political struggle over who gets to govern the lagoon.    Written by Que...

Starting from the 2020 conflict surrounding La Boquilla Dam, this episode traces the hidden workings of the 1944 water treaty between the United States and Mexico. In the Río Conchos basin, water is not simply scarce: it is made scarce. As farmers face empty canals and mounting pressure to meet cross-border water deliveries, a deeper fracture comes into view, between water as a means of survival a...

Public space and protest power explores how protest movements do more than express political demands; they actively reshape the city itself. Through the ongoing student protests in Serbia, the series explores how public spacebecomes a site of visibility, conflict, solidarity, and collective identity. Beginning with the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse and the institutional silence that fol...

Public space and protest power explores how protest movements do more than express political demands; they actively reshape the city itself. Through the ongoing student protests in Serbia, the series explores how public spacebecomes a site of visibility, conflict, solidarity, and collective identity. Beginning with the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse and the institutional silence that fol...

La seconda parte approfondisce la dimensione territoriale del colonialismo d’insediamento in Cisgiordania, dove il controllo lascia la scala urbana per trasformarsi in un progetto capillare di riorganizzazione dello spazio. L’episodio ricostruisce le radici storiche del progetto sionista, la nascita degli insediamenti dopo il 1967 e l’evoluzione della colonizzazione attraverso kibbutz, città subur...

La prima parte di “Manuale minimo di urbanistica coloniale (come si pianifica un’occupazione)” esplora come la pianificazione urbana diventi un potente strumento di dominio nei territori occupati. L’episodio racconta come mappe, piani regolatori, vincoli e burocrazia siano impiegati da Israele per controllare Gerusalemme Est e ostacolare la possibilità, per la popolazione palestinese, di costruire...

This episode brings together Jeremy Gilbert and Christian Schmid to explore how digital capitalism and Lefebvrian theory can shed light on the changing nature of urban space. Jeremy Gilbert opens the conversation with his work on Platform Capitalism, examining how digital platforms, such as Uber, Airbnb, and Amazon, colonise everyday life andrestructure the material and social fabric of cities. He...

Can a law reshape a city? Salva Milano was introduced to unlock construction across Milan, but quickly became a symbol of something deeper: how urban planning isbeing redefined by private interests, legal loopholes, and political urgency. This episode unpacks what happens when development accelerates at the cost of transparency, equity, and long-term vision. Between satire, protest, andsuspended c...

What happens when housing stops being treated as a right and becomes a residual category—something to manage, not invest in? In this episode, we return to one of Milan’s largest public housing districts to examine the material and institutional neglect shaping daily life. Through interviews with researchers and residents, we uncover the long retreat of public responsibility, the internal fractures...

Gated condos next to crumbling apartments. Luxury towers rising beside public neglect. In this first episode, we explore how Milan’s urban space has become a landscape of stark contrasts, where inequality is no longer hidden but spatialized, embedded in the city’s architecture. By tracing narratives, policies, and lived experiences, we ask: What kind of logic is driving the city’s transformation?...

In this final episode of the Territorial Elsewheres series, we travel to the Valle di Lei, a borderland between Italy and Switzerland where a monumental dam reveals the tensions between local governance, energy interests and spatial appropriation. Through the voices of Michela Fanetti, Dino Buzzetti, Omar Iacomella, Dominique Durot and Martin Cantieni, we retrace the history and transformations of...

.This episode explores mountain territories as places of production, leisure, and spectacle. Considering practices of mass tourism and mega events as major drivers of spatial transformation, the episode critically explores their sustainability—not only environmentally, but also spatially, socially, and economically. Drawing insights from the work of Martin Müller and Sarah Gainsforth, the episode...

The first episode of this new Urbinary cycle investigates how systems of labour exploitation shape space, focusing on rural southern Italy. It explores the phenomenon of Caporalato—the informal recruitment of agricultural workers—not merely as an illegal labour practice, but as a spatial and political infrastructure sustaining global food systems. The episode navigates themes of informality, tempo...

In this 4th episode of Urbinary, we venture beyond the traditional confines of academia to explore research, education, and publication practices situated ‘in the periphery of’ academia. We question which aspects of the ‘status quo’ can be pushed back against and how. To unpack this, we chatted with three different editorial platforms that we admire for their thoughtful and generative perspectives...

In this episode of Urbinary, the question of what is urban is explored by analyzing critical epistemological lenses and applying them to the Emilia-Romagna floods (2023–2024). With insights from Camilla Perrone, Paolo Pileri, Davide Castaldo, and Pascal Bernhardt, it delves into political ecology, land consumption, and the socio-natural dynamics shaping our territories. A thought-provoking journey...

This episode explores the ambiguous boundaries and contested limits of urban studies and planning, delving into their complex relationship as interconnected yet distinct fields. By reflecting on the multidisciplinary nature of urban studies and on the normative, practice-oriented roots of urban planning, many contributions stemming from scholars, young academics and activists are leveraged to exam...

This episode delves into the multifaceted practice of observing urban spaces , challenging traditional approaches that rely solely on quantitative data. It emphasizes the need to integrate intangible elements — such as emotions, sensory experiences, and human interactions — into urban and spatial analysis to fully understand the dynamics of places. Drawing on insights from scholars like Gloria Cal...

Welcome to the new Urbinary! In this episode, we introduce our reimagined podcast and kick off Cycle 1: Finding Our Place: Navigating Urban Studies. Join us as we reflect on the meaning of 'urban,' expand beyond cities, and explore the tensions, complexities, and aspirations that shape our spaces. Produced by early-career researchers at Politecnico di Milano, this cycle offers fresh perspectives o...

Join us in this episode of URBINARY as we explore the intricate relationship between rivers and Indian civilization with Nikhil Sanjay Shah, a multifaceted researcher, architect, and urban designer. Delve into the challenges faced by the community in the ecologically sensitive Bengre Estuary of Mangalore, where conflicting policies and development trajectories pose significant obstacles to sustain...

Join us in this episode of URBINARY as we delve into the reconstruction of Palestinian urban identity in Haifa with Maisa Totry, an architect and urban planner. Discover how informal practices and insurgent urban spaces are reshaping social dynamics amidst settler colonialism. From examining the challenges faced by marginalized Palestinian minorities to exploring the impact of historical events an...

Join us in this episode of URBINARY as we delve into the thought-provoking discussions from Track 5 of the AESOP Young Academics Conference. Our guest, Danila Saulino, shares insights into the complex interplay between environmental, social, and spatial transformations explored in Track 5, titled "Towards Coexistence: Contested Social and Spatial Landscapes in Transformation." From challenging con...

Join us in this episode of URBINARY as we delve into the intricacies of sustainable urban development in Sweden with Janneke van der Leer, a PhD candidate specializing in the role of municipalities in sustainability-profiled districts. Discover the challenges municipalities face in realizing sustainability goals and how they navigate the complexities of planning and implementation. Explore real-wo...