PhD in URBAN PLANNING, DESIGN, AND POLICY - 32nd cycle Research Field: NOVEL APPROACHES FOR THE CO-DESIGN OF URBAN SERVICES TOWARDS THE SHARING SOCIETY Monthly net income of PhDscholarship (max 36 months) 1016.37 In case of a change of the welfare rates during the three-year period, the amount could be modified. Context of the research activity Motivation and objectives of the research in this field The research aims at investigating and providing new urban service solutions for the achievement of the sharing society concept. Specifically, the exploration will focus on innovative approaches to co-design for the delivery of novel urban services, and their interplay with the physical space, the urban planning and community planning domains. This research is embedded into a larger EU funded project named Sharing Cities (H2020 project, Grant Agreement n.691885) and it fits within an ongoing European challenge towards the achievement of the sharing society concept. A number of physical measures will be funded and installed in three major European cities (namely London, Lisbon and Milan): these actions will refer mainly to the provision of electric bikes and vehicles for moving people and goods, smart lampposts, smart parking sensors and energy efficiency measures in buildings, including sensors. The installation of the smart and diffused urban infrastructure alone is not sufficient, if community-based services are not adequately implemented and people are not deeply engaged in the process. The link between the heavy ICT infrastructure of the smart city and people response to renovated services and behaviors requires passing through a holistic vision of urban strategic planning, and this is the main object of investigation of this research. The research starts from the consideration that the emerging of the smart city concept is not new; on the contrary, it is now a mature topic in several research domains maybe less popular strictly in 1 / 5
the urban planning discipline but did not produce sound and evident changes in the planning practice. In particular, the diffusion of the smart city and the sharing society concepts ask for a renovation of the urban design and planning toolkit. Hence, specific goals of the research will be: (1) firstly, to investigate to what extent urban planning and design can really make the difference in the shaping the city of the future, and how other professionals have already taken the lead and are in charge of addressing the challenges concerning the paradigm shift towards the smart city and the sharing society. (2) Secondly, if we recognize the crucial role of urban planning in addressing the smart city paradigm, then, we have to tackle the comebacks of planning to the current urban challenges, and how the role of the physical space can play a crucial role in the dissemination of innovative digital practices and urban lifestyles. Methods and techniques that will be developed and used to carry out the research The research is carried out by a highly international and interdisciplinary team, composed by computer scientists, urban planners, service designers, engineers in energy and transport, in collaboration to public authorities, urban utilities and private companies.the research methodology to be developed by the Ph.D. candidate will combine methods and techniques for urban participatory planning and urban services design, including the design of apps and novel ICT tools for e-participation. In particular, the research exploration will apply, on one side, participatory community planning techniques to engage and empower citizens with bottom-up approaches, and on the other side technical expertise in the design of novel urban services emerging from real community needs. The technical expertise requires the learning and understanding of different ICT tools, in particular mobile applications and location-based services to be used for designing urban services. Educational objectives The program aims firstly at providing expertise in the field of urban services design and its interplay to community 2 / 5
and urban planning to support more inclusive approaches to decision-making processes. Secondly, to develop a research in an international context and partially in response to the European work programme on the Smart Cities and Communities challenge.the researcher will develop scientific and technical skills that are required to contemporary urban planners working on the field of smart city strategic planning. During the implementation of the research project and in parallel to the education process within the Ph.D. programme, the candidate will acquire specific knowledge and create a tailored toolkit for envisioning, defining and managing complex processes of participatory urban planning for the design of innovative location-based urban services towards the emergence of the sharing society. Job opportunities According to its international orientation, the UPDP course intends to train highly qualified researchers and professionals in spatial planning, design and management of urban projects and policy, urban studies and urban governance. Doctors with such profile could be employed by Italian and International academic institutions, public bodies and research centres, public and private development agencies. In the particular case of the topic offered under this call, doctors with such a degree could be also employed by national and international organisations in research, consultancy and design on smart cities and sharing society challenges. Composition of the research group Name of the research directors 7 Full Professors 12 Associated Professors 4 Assistant Professors 23 PhD Students Eugenio Morello Contacts Research director: prof. Eugenio Morello (e-mail eugenio.morello@polimi.it; phone +39/07/23995561) PhD Coordinator: prof. Paola Pucci ((e-mail: paola.pucci@polimi.it; phone +39/02/2399.5474) 3 / 5
PhD Vice_coordinator: prof. Luca Gaeta (e-mail: luca.gaeta@polimi.it; phone +39/02/2399.5426) Phd tutor: dr Giulia Fini (e-mail: giulia.fini@polimi.it; fini.giulia@gmail.com; phone +39/02/2399.9408). Contact in the PhD Office at DAStU: dr Marina Bonaventura (e-mail: marina.bonaventura@polimi.it ; tel. +39/02/2399.5165) Manuela Rinaldi (e-mail: manuela.rinaldi@polimi.it; phone +39/02/2399. 5019) Website: http://www.dastu.polimi.it/index.php?id=1146 https://beep.metid.polimi.it/web/85168196/home#p_29 Additional support - Financial aid per PhD student per year (gross amount) Housing - Foreign Students -- Housing - Out-of-town residents (more than 80Km out of Milano) -- Additional information: educational activity, teaching assistantship, computer availability, desk availability, any other informations The Educational activities are supported by introductory Courses, which focus on research methods and core themes, comparative assessment of best practices and design workshops. The main courses and workshops provided in the first year are the following: specialized courses on Research Methods, providing a methodological introduction to the doctoral dissertation (literature review, drafting of a research project), as well as research tools in the fields of urban planning, policy and design; intensive and interactive seminars, focusing on specific sets of topics in the three research areas of urban studies; planning theories and practices and design topics, forms and tools emphasizing a comparative approach among relevant Italian and international experiences; a design workshop, in which different experiences and skills are combined in order to explore themes and methods of urban planning, policy making and project design. The workshop integrates lectures, site tours, design projects and debates among practitioners, researchers and students in one intensive period of work. Each learning activity is subject to grading through oral examination and the submission of written papers and essays. Detailed programmes are available on the PhD programme's website. Within the end of the first year, PhD students will be required to submit a project proposal for their PhD dissertation. The core activities of the second year are: 4 / 5
a bibliographic essay related to the PhD dissertation, to be presented and reviewed within the first month of the first semester; an internship of six months in a foreign university or agency working in the field of urban planning and policy; a written report is due to the Board; at least one paper presented to an international journal and the participation in an international conference as a speaker. During the third year the PhD candidate should devote his/her time to research and development of the PhD thesis. For each candidate, one member of the Board will be appointed as a Tutor responsible for supervising and supporting the candidate's work. The Tutor and the whole Board will follow the preparation of the Thesis, and will hold regular meetings with the candidates. About the computer and desk availability, one individual desk and 2 pc for shared use are available to each candidate. All PhD students can use their own laptop with the wireless connection. Workstations and other equipment are available in the various laboratories linked with the programme. Further information is available at: Handbook a.y. 2016/2017 of the PhD Programme in Urban Planning, Design and Policy (UPDP) in http://www.dastu.polimi.it/index.php?id=1146 5 / 5