Diary extract of five research experiences in the XXXIV Italian doctoral cycle. Sharing common research questions on environment-oriented planning

Abstract

In a time of renewal of the themes, interests, and applications of urban planning disciplines, is it possible to read continuity between the ongoing doctoral research? Despite Italian universities focused on project-making and urban planning, they often appear as closed groups, impermeable to external influences and synergies: still, examples of interdisciplinary syncretism and academic contamination could be found both in past research and emerging practices. Through the presentation of 5 research questions, developed by doctoral students from Italian universities, the paper is aimed to recognize a fil rouge made up of common interests. The proposal is oriented to recognize, through analogies and common traits, the potential of interdisciplinary comparison and research networks. The opportunity for concertation among PhD students arises from the fruitful participation in urban studies training activities and workshops tailored to doctoral studies, and from a two-year exchange of ideas and perspectives. The dissertation themes include the identification of the wickedness of some crucial problems that contemporary environment-oriented planning is called upon to address. They relate specifically to the issues of climate-proof planning, resilience, action research processes, regeneration of peri-urban areas. After a theoretical definition of wickedness to which the authors refer, five Diary Extracts are presented and compared by highlighting: 1) the existing interconnections between research questions, objectives and methodologies, 2) the implications for research and practice in the field of environment-oriented planning. Finally, the essay provides further remarks on the learning opportunities grounded on sharing and contamination among young scholar researchers.