Phd in ARCHITECTURE. THEORIES AND PROJECT

Thesis title: Gli spazi dell'inclusione nella città publica. Letture e progetto delle differenze nel contemporaneo

This research investigates public space as an architectural and urban device capable of fostering inclusion within the contemporary city, framing anthropic differences as a design resource rather than a condition of fragmentation. Grounded in the conceptual dualism of urbs and civitas, the study interprets the public city as a privileged arena of social interaction, where architectural form, collective practices, and cultural dynamics converge to shape open, porous, and dialogic spatial environments. The work develops a critical reading of the transformations of the modern and contemporary city, comparing the paradigms of the “closed city” and the “open city” through the theoretical framework elaborated by Richard Sennett. Within this perspective, public space is recognized as the civic “heart” of urban life, revisiting the debate promoted by the CIAM and the reflections on the civic value of collective places. By adopting difference (ethnic, economic, religious, and gender-based) as both an interpretative and operational category, the research proposes a theoretical-design approach grounded in the notion of the porous margin, conceived as a threshold of exchange, conflict, and coexistence. This framework leads to a taxonomy of inclusive spatial figures, identified through the comparative analysis of international case studies and a critical reading of contemporary urban practices. The second part of the research applies this theoretical framework to the city of Rome, considered a paradigmatic urban laboratory due to its historical stratification and socio-spatial complexity. Field investigation, combined with cartographic tools and analytical-diagrammatic devices, results in the definition of an inclusive urban topography and the development of a thematic map of inclusion. Within this context, the Esquilino district becomes an experimental design field where compositional strategies derived from international comparisons are reinterpreted at the local scale. The research ultimately outlines an operational model aimed at recognizing and enhancing differences as the social infrastructure of public space, reaffirming the ethical role of architecture in shaping an open, cohesive, and plural city.