The project
The “OSA, Student and Housing Observatory” project aims to establish an observatory to study the housing characteristics and dynamics of the student population in Turin.
The OSA project is sponsored and funded by the Inter-University Department of Territorial Sciences, Planning and Policy (DIST) under the “Call for applications for research funding within the department” (Council of Directors resolution of 29 March 2023). It was launched in 2023.
The research group’s work was carried out in close collaboration with the project developed for the 2022 PRIN PNRR “LINUS, Living the University City: Student Housing as a Driver of Change”, funded by the European Union under the Next Generation EU – National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Mission 4: Education and Research, Component C2, Investment Line 1.1, Fund for the National Research Programme and Projects of Significant National Interest (PRIN).
Project leader
Marco Santangelo
Research team
Silvia Aru
Ettore Asoni
Magda Bolzoni
Mara Ferreri
Francesco Fiermonte
Erica Mangione
Loris Servillo
Piergiorgio Vivenzio
Project partners
- City of Turin – Department of Education, School Buildings, Youth, Suburbs and Urban Regeneration
- IRES Piemonte.
We would like to thank the staff and departments of the Polytechnic University of Turin who helped prepare and distribute the questionnaire. Special thanks go to Barbara Ballauri, Alessandra Berlese and Maurizio Orefice, as well as Andrea Garzena, Marina Galati and Andrea Mulas.
Activities carried out
OSA’s activities form part of an ongoing research initiative within DIST and FULL that explores the relationship between the city and the university. The focus has therefore been on establishing an observatory to examine the characteristics of the university student population and its relationship with the city of Turin, particularly with regard to housing issues affecting non-local students (students living away from home). It was considered necessary to gain a better understanding of the size and characteristics of the university student population, for example regarding their backgrounds, where they live in Turin, and their interactions with public and private sector initiatives, with the third sector, and in relation to the territorial transformation strategies implemented by the relevant authorities.
The research activities undertaken have made it possible to:
- build a database on the student population, particularly non-local students, focusing on composition (origin, age, gender, etc.) and geographical distribution;
- investigate key issues relating to the right to education understood as the right to the city: the diverse nature of needs, access to services and housing, trends in housing supply and demand, forms of discrimination, particularly against international students or those from vulnerable backgrounds, and forms of social and civic mobilisation;
- coordinate stakeholders active within the university and student system, with a view to collaborative decision-making processes;
- compile and publish data and analyses to support decision-making processes and initiatives by public administration, organisations serving the student population and promoting the right to education, and the student population itself.
OSA theses and internships
Below are references to the work of students who have undertaken their dissertations and/or work placements in connection with OSA.
- Master’s degree thesis: Aylin Daricali (2024), How International University Students Live in Turin: An Analysis of Locational Preferences and Urban Experiences. Consulta la tesi a questo link.
- Undergraduate internship: Michele De Martini (2024). Classification and mapping of student accommodation in the Turin area, conducting interviews with staff managing the identified facilities, and mapping student services.
- Undergraduate internship: Francesco Racca (2026), In-depth analysis based on the processing of data from the questionnaire dataset targeting the University’s student population (first and second rounds), with a particular focus on socio-economic issues.
News
The first report has been published
The first OSA report is now available, covering the questionnaire survey of the student body at the Polytechnic University of Turin for the 2024–2025 academic year.
A joint protocol
At the final conference of the PRIN PNRR 2022 project “LINUS – Living the University City: Student Housing as a Driver of Change”, held in Turin on 6 February 2026, the “Memorandum of Understanding for scientific collaboration on student housing conditions” was signed.
The Memorandum, signed by research groups from Italian and European universities, stems from the experience of the LINUS Project and the collaborations of the partner universities: the Polytechnic University of Turin (lead partner), the University of Milan-Bicocca, the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna and the University of Padua.
The research groups from the universities already partnering in the PRIN project are joined by the following research groups: the Observatory of the Housing Market for Young People at the Polytechnic University of Bari, LAPOSS at the University of Catania, Memotef at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Metropolis at the University of Turin, and GRATET at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona. The OSA research group at the Politecnico di Torino will continue to coordinate and represent the network of research groups involved.
Second OSA report
The results of the survey for the 2025–2026 academic year are currently being processed: please check back on the website to download the new report!
