eduPED presented at the “Urban Morphologies and Common Engagement” event during ISUF 2025, Torino, Italy
Beyond the Algorithm: Morphology, Citizenship, Transformation
Politecnico di Torino, Italy, July 2025
How can contemporary tools (digital, participatory, predictive) reshape the way we read, represent, and design urban form in an era marked by rapid transitions? This question took centre stage at the International Seminar on Urban Form (ISUF) 2025, held in Torino (Italy) from June 17–20, where nearly 300 scholars convened under the theme Urban Morphology in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.
Among the pivotal sessions was the panel Urban Morphology and Common Engagement, which explored how cities can be understood and designed as interfaces between spatial forms and collective practices. The conversation, moderated by Nicola Marzot (ISUF Italy), emphasised the transformative potential of urban form when coupled with civic participation, energy transition, and inclusive design.
At the heart of the discussion was a call to see urban vacancies not as voids but as agencies, latent opportunities for socio-spatial innovation. Marzot’s concept of Vacancies as Agencies reframes underutilised spaces as strategic levers for community-driven transformation. In this view, urban form becomes an active participant in shaping social meaning and collective value.
The session also highlighted a DUT international research on the 15-minute city (15mC) model, especially in fragmented suburban contexts. Scholars Giovanni Fusco (Université Côte d’Azur) and Meta Berghauser-Pont (Chalmers University) presented a multi-scalar approach that identifies infrastructural, ecological, and “colored” networks—lively, mixed-use axes—as key elements for creating accessible, vibrant neighbourhoods. Their work provides tangible guidelines for building proximity-based urban systems where essential services and public spaces are within a short walk for all citizens.
A crucial point of convergence, and a central topic for the DUT EDUPED project, was the relationship between urban morphology and Positive Energy Districts (PEDs). Coordinated by The Hague University of Applied Sciences, EDUPED brings together a European consortium of academic partners: TU Graz, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Universitatea Tehnică din Cluj-Napoca (UTCN), and Politecnico di Torino. Together, the consortium is investigating how urban form can be used as an operational framework for designing PEDs that are not only energy-positive but also socially inclusive and spatially integrated.
At the ISUF session, the Transitional Morphologies Research Centre at Department of Architecture and Design in Politecnico di Torino underscored how morphological parameters such as density, orientation, permeability, and functional mix can profoundly influence both energy efficiency and quality of life. These dimensions, at the core of EDUPED’s research framework, offer valuable parameters for shaping PEDs that are not only technically optimized but also socially inclusive and spatially integrated. In particular, case studies on university campuses as Living Labs PED prototypes drew significant attention. By combining participatory design processes with advanced morphological analysis, the study demonstrated how urban form can be harnessed to support climate-neutral regeneration goals. This approach, strongly aligned with EDUPED’s mission, proposes scalable, replicable models that position PEDs as more than energy infrastructure: they are tools for civic engagement and spatial justice.
The importance of community engagement was further explored through projects in the East Mediterranean Middle East (EMME) region and China. The SURF Lab (University of Cyprus) showcased methods of Evidence-Based Design and Planning (EBDP), integrating socio-spatial data with inclusive governance. As researchers Nadia Charalambous and Ilaria Geddes explained, these co-designed processes address urban equity and vulnerability in a rapidly changing urban landscape.
Meanwhile, Bao Li (Southeast University) presented the participatory regeneration of Xiaoxihu, a district in historic Nanjing. Here, the courtyard house becomes a contemporary design unit for negotiated urban interventions. The project’s success lies in its ability to activate micro-scale cooperation between public and private actors, using morphology to counteract the displacement patterns typically seen in Chinese urban renewal.
What emerged from the discussion is a broader reframing of urban morphology—not as a descriptive or nostalgic discipline, but as a strategic field to navigate contemporary urban challenges. In the words of Marzot, “urban spaces, seemingly unused or problematic, are no longer viewed as voids to be filled but as latent opportunities for socio-spatial innovation… capable of generating new meanings and new forms of collective engagement.”
In the face of ecological, energy, and technological transitions, urban morphology, when combined with participatory tools and place-based design, can offer a powerful framework for shaping inclusive, resilient, and energy-efficient cities. As demonstrated in Torino, the future of city-making lies at the intersection of form, ethics, and agency.