This class is aimed to provide students with an overview of urban phenomena in history and today, so to fram the interaction between space and social change. Urban issues (e.g. inequality, social class and poverty; segregation; social and spatial mobility; urban governance; housing; diversity and pluralism; environmental issues and sustainability; urban boundaries and shapes...) will be studied also according to the perspective of main classical and contemporary urban scholars and comparatively. A special section will be devoted to practical issues concerning participation and intercultural practice in the city.

PART I:
The boundaries and shapes of cities;
City and urbanism;
City and territory; 
Types of cities: planning and development
Housing;
Cities and social class; suburbanization and gentrification;
Neighbourhoods, urban communities and diversity;
Urban segregation;
Immigration and mobility;
Poverty and welfare;
Governing cities;
Quality of life and sustainability
PART II:
Participation and conflict in the city
The intercultural city

None

Knowledge and understanding: knowledge of main theoretical approaches to the urban experience and of main social processes at urban level. Such knowledge and understanding has to be achieved by studying suggested literature.

Applying knowledge and understanding: critical analysis of urban social processes and policies. Skills to be achieved with discussion on the relation between literature and recent events  

Skills: using knwoledge and understanding above to define research and practice on  on the spatial dimension of social processes. Skills to be achieved via simulations and exercises

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Seminars and labs will be organized. The theme and schedule will be agreed with the students at the beginning of the lessons

Teaching

Frontal lessons, with the support of ICT and audiovisuals.

During the lessons, supplementary materials will be given, that may partly substitute reference literature.

On a voluntary basis and according to available projects, students can be involved in fieldwork researches on:

- use and reuse of urban spaces;
- urban policies focussing on cultural diversity;
- analysis of secondary data for planning;
- analysis of spatial segregation processes

Attendance

Attend 3/4 of lesson hours. Studying reference literature: it is possible to arrange an individualized programme or to write a short essay substituting reference literature. The essay must be written in autonomy and studying a minimum of three books; a plagiarism checker will be used.

Course books

Students that will attend lessons regularly and do not ask for an individualized programme must study three books (one per area) chosen in the list below.

1) A handbook among the following ones:

1.a.) A. Mela, Sociologia della città, Carocci, Roma, 2006
1.b.) S. Parker, Teoria ed esperienza urbana, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2006
1.c.) S. Vicari Haddock, Questioni urbane, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2013

2) a supplementary book among the following ones:
2.a.) N. Brenner, Stato, spazio, urbanizzazione, Guerini, Milano, 2016.
2.b.) M. Oberti, E. Préteceille, La segregazione urbana, Aracne, Roma, 2017.
2.c.) A. Tosi, Le case dei poveri. E' ancora possibile pensare un welfare abitativo?, Mimesis, Milano, 2016

3) A research book among the following ones: 
3.a.) A. Agustoni, A. Alietti, Società urbane e convivenza interetnica, Angeli, Milan, 2009
3.b.) Archivio di Studi Urbani e Regionali, n. 114/2015 (da pag. 5 a pag. 161)
3.c.) D. Ciaffi, A. Mela, Urbanistica partecipata, Carocci, Rome, 2011.
3.d.) C. Landry, P. Wood, The Intercultural City, Earthscan, London, 2012
3.e.) G. Marconi, E. Ostanel, The Intercultural City, I.B. Tauris, London, 2016
3.f.) A. Mela, S. Mugnano, D. Olori, Territori vulnerabili. Verso una nuova sociologia dei disastri italiana, Angeli, Milan.
3.g.) S. Oosterlynck, N. Schuermans, M. Loopmans, Place, diversity and solidarity, Routledge, London, 2017

Books from section 2 and 3 may be replaced by others suggested by the lecturer, especially for those attending seminars and labs agreed at the beginning of the academic year

Assessment

Written exam. A test with 5 open questions will be administered: 3 questions on section 1; 1 question on section 2; 1 question on section 3 -- mostly as a simulation. The test must be finished in 90 minutes. Final marks will be related to: knowledge of reference literature (in particular, the capacity to connect concepts, theories, approaches and researches); proficiency in the disciplinary lingo; skills in connecting knowledge and simulated cases; quality of writing.
Those attending seminars, labs and/or research activities can pass the exam by writing an essay or with a shorter version of the written test.
The essay should be 10/15-pages long, with a table of contents and a reference list agreed with the lecturer. The essay should be delivered 10 days before the exam. The final mark will be related to: the capacity to connect concepts, theories, approaches and researches; skills in connecting knowledge and experience; quality of writing.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Studying suggested literature

Attendance

Studying reference literature: it is possible to arrange an individualized programme substituting reference literature.

Course books

Besides the same literature foreseen for students regularly atting lessons, those not attending or attending irregularly must study one of the following volumes:

- G. De Carlo, L'architettura della partecipazione, Quodlibet, Macerata, 2013
- R. Sennett, Costruire e abitare. Etica per la città, Feltrinelli, Milan, 2018
- T. Tasan-Tok et al., A Handbook for Governing Hyper-diverse Cities, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 2017 (downloadable here: www.urbandivercities.eu/publications/handbook/ )

Assessment

Written exam. A test with 5 open questions will be administered: 3 questions on section 1; 1 question on section 2; 1 equestion on section 3 and on the additional book for non-attending students -- mostly as a simulation. The test must be finished in 90 minutes. Final marks will be related to: knowledge of reference literature (in particular, the capacity to connect concepts, theories, approaches and researches); proficiency in the disciplinary lingo; skills in connecting knowledge and simulated cases; quality of writing. Those attending seminars, labs and/or research activities can pass the exam by writing an essay.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Students can request to sit the final exam in English with an alternative programme

The professor can support students interested in training on issues consistent with the arguments of the lessons