Marginal urbanities. The hidden face of planetary urbanisation

The Marginal Urbanities symposium aims to reflect on contemporary urban reality through original and innovative perspectives that bring to light the dynamics that shape contemporary society. In the face of what some define as an urban age, it is indeed crucial to refine analyses that can uncover the most relevant urban phenomena. Indeed, if more than half of the world's population lives in cities, they represent a complex and dynamic environment in which humanity's problems manifest themselves with greater intensity and in which it is possible to focus on possible solutions.
The plurality of factors - economic, social, environmental, political, climatic - that contribute to transforming the living fabric for human beings requires a rethinking of the traditional canons of urban studies, a greater effort of interdisciplinary discussion and an open and attentive approach. Thanks to this two-day symposium, international specialists, established researchers and PhD students will have the opportunity to discuss and debate. While focusing on marginal spaces and social categories, the symposium adds to the recent postcolonial and feminist critiques to the theory of planetary urbanization that aims at recentring peripheral and often neglected urban conditions.

The Institute of Urban and Landscape Studies at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio is the ideal place to host this debate. The symposium will consolidate the role of our institute in the international debate. Indeed, the Academy of Architecture plays a major international role in urban planning and architectural thinking, but this event offers the opportunity to build interdisciplinary bridges with the social sciences of space.

The event will have a number of outputs: a special issue in a prestigious journal, the online publication of the recording of the panels, the creation of new networks and the strengthening of national and international collaborations, which will enable the organisation of new events in our faculty and elsewhere.