At the end of the Course Students are expected: 1. mastering the urban planning terms, having knowledge of the contents and organization of main local plans; 2. to understand and identify key concept expressed in the different technical languages by key readings accompanying each Course’s lecture; 3. to characterize the main dynamics in human settlements (land use, population density, commuting, real estate), and inequalities using appropriate sources and methods; 4. to identify the main drivers of urban transformations (e.g.: structure and population dynamics, employment, residential market, hydro-climatic disasters); 5. to draft and present a conceptual site proposal for residential multi-dwelling development in accordance with zoning code.

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Urban Planning Course is organized into three sections. The first section shares knowledge on (i) the various forms of human settlements (cities, metropolitan areas and regions, urban sprawl), (ii) the territorial changes (environment and landscape) and on (iii) the territorial gaps (GDP pc ppp, Income/Gini index, Human development index, Human poverty index, Quality of life). The Italian context is systematically compared with that of EU27 and USA. Specific attention is paid to "transitions" (first metropolitan areas, first urban regions, origins of urban sprawl) that are retraced through contemporary writings and technical reports. The second section introduces the main drivers of human settlements changes identified in the first section (demographic transitions, rise of a tertiary sector economy, climate change, the "growth machine"). The main interpretative theories of ageing, in-migration, counter urbanization, urban sprawl, property predominance of housing, rise and mutation of industrial districts, adaptation/mitigation to/of climate change are presented and discussed. Technical reports by the United Nations-DESA, UNISDR-International Panel on Climate Change and the European Union provide the basis for this section. The third section introduces to the urban governance: the main policies, the categories of plans, the zoning code and map, most the common tools. The organization of teaching through lectures, oral and written synthesis on the mandatory readings (reports, scientific papers, legislation), identification of the reference lexicon, application of the analysis in selected cases in the contexts of origin of Students, assignments aimed at increasing the capacity of the Student's understanding and abilities. Section A - Phenomena and changes (9 hours of lectures) City, commuting & metropolitan area. Urban sprawl and countryside. Environment and landscape. Section B - Drivers of changes (12 hours of lectures) Climate change and disasters. Urban climatology and climate planning. Population trends, structure, and territorial distribution. Access to housing. Section C – Changes’ governance (43 hours of lectures + 16 hours of exercise) Compact city. Urban renewal/regeneration. Transit oriented development. The comprehensive/general plan. Zoning plan and code. Density and land use. Transfer of development rights. Cluster housing. Landscaping around streets. Traffic safety through road design.

The Course is organised into 15 lectures, two written assignments, and one written exam (quiz) simulation. One or more readings accompany each lecture. In early May, Students vote on the six readings (from the 16 reading materials) to be prepared for the written exam (quiz). In early June, a simulation of the exam (quiz) on two readings selected by the Students (in class voting) is offered. Assignments deal with (A1) Retrospective identification of bulk control measures in awarded residential projects in the USA, (A2) Proposal for a Multi-dwelling Development in St Johns District, Portland (OR), USA. Teams of 5 Students should develop assignments. Each team must be composed of diverse students in terms of gender and country of origin. Written instructions accompany each assignment (i), (ii) is to be developed in class and at home, (iii) delivered exclusively through the Course "Homework" folder within deadlines agreed upon with the class, and (iv) receives at least two written revisions from the Instructor.

Section A Canedoli C. et al. 2018. Landscape fragmentation and urban sprawl in the urban region of Milan. Landsc Research 45, 5, 632-651 [pp. 20]. Chiaricò M.V. et al. 2022. Determining organic versus conventional food emissions to foster the transition to sustainable food systems and diets: insights from a systematic review. J Cle Pro 380. 134937 [pp. 10]. Jha G. et al. 2021. Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in integrated drop-livestock systems: environmental exposure and human health risks, Int J Environ Research Pub Health 18, 12550 [pp. 20]. Sicard P. et al. 2021. Urban population exposure to air pollution in Europe over the last decades. Environ Sci Europe, 33 [pp. 12]. Section B Spadoni G.L. et al. 2023. Active governance of agro-pastoral, forest, and protected areas mitigates wildfire impacts in Italòy, Sci Tot Environ 890, 164281 [pp. 15]. Valente M. et al. 2025. The 2023 floods in the Emilia-Romagna region, Italy: A retrospective qualitative investigation into response strategies and criticalities, Int J Dis Risk Reduct 116, 105089 [14]. Capon O.J. et al. 2021. Reducing the health effects of hot weather and heat extremes: from personal cooling strategies to green cities. Lancet 398, 709-24 [pp. 16]. Kolka M. et al. 2022. Reducing carbon footprint of agriculture-Can organic farming help to mitigate climate change? Agric. 12, 1383 [pp. 21]. Morabito M. et al. 2021. Surface urban heat islands in Italian metropolitan cities: tree cover and impervious surface influences, Science of Total Environment 751 [pp. 19]. Schiavina, M. et al. 2022. Built-up areas are expanding faster than population growth: regional patterns and trajectories in Europe, J. Land Use Science 17 [pp. 19]. UNDESA-Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 2019. World population prospects 2019. Highlights, New York, United Nations [pp. 40]. Wolfgring et al. 2024. Housing the poor? Accessibility and exclusion in the local housing system of Vienna and Milan. J Housing Built Environ 39, 1783-1819 [pp. 37]. Section C Albanese G. et al. 2021. Anything new in town? The local effects of urban regeneration policies in Italy, Reg Sci Urb Econ 86, 103623 [pp. 16]. Ewing et al. 2021. Comparative case studies of parking reduction at transit-oriented developments in the USA, Transp. Res. Record 2675:1 [pp. 11] . Linkous, E.R. 2017. Transfer of development rights and urban land markets, Environment and Planning A 49(5) [pp. 24]. Rodrigue J.-P. 2020. The distribution network of Amazon and the footprint of freight digitalization, J. Transp. Geo. 88: 102825 [pp. 11]. Assignments *Tiepolo, M. 2026. Tips on parking and landscaping along roads [pp. 14].

Lecture slides; Lecture notes; Exercises; Video lectures (current year); Self-assessment tools;

Exam: Group graphic design project; Computer-based written test in class using POLITO platform;

In-class Quiz with open-ended and/or closed-ended questions through the Exam platform using the personal laptop (PC). The Urban Planning course is passed when the Student: A) receives at least 3.6 out of 6 on the written exam (quiz), passing each of the three sections with at least 1.2 points. Eighty per cent of the Quiz questions are about 6 out of the 15 readings of the Course voted by Students, and 20% of the questions are from assignments and lectures. It contains open-ended and closed-ended questions and is offered through the Exam platform. The written exam aims to verify that Students have attended the learning goals (1) and (2). Students select readings (in-class voting), two for each Course section. The Quiz contains 30 questions: 24 questions on readings (4 per reading), 6 questions on assignments and lectures, with multiple choice answers. B) receives at least 1.2 points out of 2 in assignment A1 and 2.4 out of 4 in assignment A2. The value of (A) and (B) score determinants is: A=50%, B=50%. Laude is recognised for the excellence in the quality of the Assignments and the maximum score reported in the Quiz.

In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.