AirMAP was developed in response to the need to fill a gap in the information available regarding the expansion and historical evolution of short-term rentals facilitated by Airbnb in Italy. Institutional databases are often fragmented or incomplete, making it difficult for public decision-makers to assess the true scale of the phenomenon. The project aims to overcome these limitations by utilising datasets from AirDNA.

 

The FULL research centre has developed a bespoke database covering sixteen urban contexts, with the aim of producing a systematic and comparative mapping of the phenomenon, and has engaged and coordinated research teams from leading Italian universities, each dedicated to a specific city. For the first time, a range of diverse urban settings are being analysed using the same methodological approach, enabling a scientific comparison between different contexts. A report covering the whole of Italy has been produced, along with one for each of the following cities:

 

• Northern Italy: Bergamo, Genoa, Milan, Padua, Turin, Trieste, Venice.
• Central Italy: Bologna, Florence, Rome.
• Southern Italy and the Islands: Bari, Cagliari, Catania, Naples, Palermo, Reggio Calabria.

The analysis is structured across three geographical levels, derived from the relevant Local Labour Market System (Sistema Locale del Lavoro – SLL): the metropolitan capital (CM), the other municipalities within the SLL (OM), and the entire SLL as a single aggregate. The reports combine aggregated annual data (2017–2024) and monthly data for the most recent year (2024), including supply and demand indicators such as nights booked, beds, active units, average nightly rate, occupancy rate and revenue per unit and per host. The analysis also includes the spatial classification of listings in OM municipalities and CM cities.

 

A specific section is devoted to the professionalisation of the accommodation offering, through the classification of hosts into three categories: small hosts (1–2 properties managed), medium hosts (3–10 properties) and large hosts (10 or more properties). Finally, each report includes a thematic appendix compiled by the local research group, aimed at interpreting specific local dynamics.

Research groups involved:

• BARI – Mariella Annese, Fabrizio Di Alessandro, Gianfranco Viesti (Politecnico Bari)
• BOLOGNA – Alessandro Bozzetti, Silvia Bartolucci (UniBologna)
• CAGLIARI – Abir Benfradj, Michele Campagna, Laura Tolu (UniCagliari)
• CATANIA – Eliana Fischer, Teresa Graziano, Laura Saija (UniCatania)
• FLORENCE – Marco Bellandi, Alice Calamandrei, Giulia Chiara Ceresa, Valentina D’Ippolito, Federico Martellozzo, Camilla Perrone, Massimo Tofanelli (UniFirenze)
• GENOA – Lorenzo Barbanera, Emanuele Cinti, Igor Costarelli, Niccolò Morelli, Francesca Zagagni (UniGenova)
• MILAN – Silvia Mugnano, Valeria Marina Borodi, Riccardo Ramello (University of Milano-Bicocca)
• NAPLES – Gaia del Giudice, Cristina Mattiucci (UniNapoli – Federico II), Cecilia Pasquinelli (UniNapoli Parthenope)
• PADUA – Francesco Mauro, Lorenza Perini, Michelangelo Savino (UniPadova)
• PALERMO – Chiara Giubilaro, Marco Picone (UniPalermo)
• REGGIO CALABRIA – Benedetta Chiaro, Angelo Chiaro, Gabriella Pultrone (UniReggio Calabria)
• ROME – Antonia Astore, Carlo Cellammare (UniRoma – Sapienza), Luca Tricarico (CNR)
• TRIESTE – Elena Marchigiani, Valentina Novak, Andrea Peraz (UniTrieste)
• VENICE – Matteo Basso, Gianfranco Pozzer (IUAV), Giacomo-Maria Salerno (UniSiena)

The project was presented at a conference in Turin on 22 May 2026, and the reports are available in the RESOURCES section of the website.

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Post-Office Turn investigates how work digitalization is reshaping the urban and architectural landscapes of Milan and Turin. The research combines urban-scale analysis with building-scale observation to understand the transformative potential of the ordinary office stock. It integrates mapping, morphological study, policy analysis, and design-based inquiry to explore how existing buildings can “learn” to become residential or hybrid spaces in response to structural shifts in work patterns. By framing adaptive reuse as both an environmental necessity and an opportunity for low-carbon urban regeneration, the project aims to contribute to contemporary debates on the future of cities and the sustainable reactivation of their built legacies.

Aims and Objectives

This research focuses on the adaptive reuse of ordinary buildings, with particular attention to office stock as a key site of transition in cities undergoing economic, social, and environmental transformation. Vacancy, obsolescence, and changing work practices make office buildings a crucial testing ground for contemporary reuse strategies.
The project investigates emptiness as both a physical condition (vacant surfaces, underperforming structures) and a systemic condition (changes in labour, policies, governance, and markets). It examines how reuse practices unfold across different scales and how design, policy, and environmental knowledge interact in shaping new transformation pathways.

Objectives:

• Detect and analyze spatial patterns of vacancy in office building stocks in Italy, with a specific focus on Turin and Milan.
• Document reuse and conversion practices, identifying technical, social, economic, and regulatory drivers in a comparative perspective.
• Connect architectural transformation with urban governance, planning frameworks, and collaborative design processes.
• Assess the environmental, social, and economic implications of reuse, with particular attention to embodied carbon, material cycles, and lifecycle performance.

Methods

The project employs a multilayered comparative framework, integrating different forms of knowledge production and representation:

• Urban data analysis to detect vacancy patterns and characterize office stocks at multiple scales.
• GIS mapping to visualize spatial distributions, morphological structures, and transformation potentials.
• On-site fieldwork to document architectural conditions, ongoing interventions, and local practices.
• Comparative architectural redrawing, focusing on typology, depth, façade systems, circulation, and spatial adaptability.
• Historical and policy research linking macro-urban narratives with building-scale transformations.
• Environmental and energy analysis, assessing embodied carbon and lifecycle implications.
• Design-based inquiry to explore adaptive reuse strategies and prototype transformation scenarios.

The methodology builds upon the Manhattan pilot study developed for the 14th São Paulo Biennale (2024–2025), which tested mapping protocols, analytical tools, and documentation methods. The Italian study will:

1. Test the transferability of these tools to metropolitan regions characterized by different governance structures, building stocks, and regulatory conditions.
2. Challenge and refine the methodology, producing a context-sensitive framework adaptable to diverse urban legacies.

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Specifically, HACKERARE M0N0P0L1 is an expansion (consisting of new cards, tokens, and markers) which, when used together with the classic version of Monopoly, transforms the latter into a game that combines a playful dimension with an educational/informative component. The ‘hacking’ operation affects both the software and hardware of Monopoly (i.e., both the rules and components such as the ‘Chance’ and ‘Community Chest’ cards), making the game dynamics more relevant to the real processes affecting contemporary cities. For example, different starting conditions are established (some players start with only a modest amount of money, others have a lot of money and a property with a house on it, others own a chain of hotels, and so on); by rewriting the “Chance” and “Community Chest” cards, events are proposed that reflect realistic situations or public policies (for example, processes such as studentification or privatization of real estate assets); by “redefining” certain squares on the board, elements are introduced that allude to the real structure of the real estate sphere (for example, the residual presence of public housing) and the social sphere (for example, each time a player completes a lap and passes GO, they receive a different salary depending on their starting condition).

How to obtain the game

HACKERARE M0N0P0L1 is a non-profit project, created for educational and training purposes and protected by a Creative Commons Licence 4.0 BY-NC-SA. It is distributed free of charge in two forms:

1- the various components of the game (i.e. the new cards, the new rulebook and the ‘Small Dictionary of Housing Issues’ booklet) are freely downloadable from this page and can be printed with a simple home printer.

2- a limited number of packs of the game have been produced, available to those who intend to use it for educational or training purposes (e.g. secondary and high school teachers, university lecturers, activists* of social movements for the right to housing). Anyone wishing to receive a free box of the game (while stocks last; new boxes will be printed through the crowdfunding campaign indicated below) is invited to contact: francesco.chiodelli@unito.it

Anyone who would like to receive a pack of the game for individual use can participate by donating to the crowdfunding campaign: https://sostieni.link/38980

The printed pack of HACKERARE M0N0P0L1 contains: 6 people cards; 6 discrimination cards; 6 tokens; 4 ‘public housing’ markers; 1 ‘building abuse’ marker; 20 probability cards; 20 contingency cards; 3 ‘Contingency or probability?’ cards; rules; ‘Small dictionary of the housing issue’.

DOWNLOAD HERE THE FILES to print and play the game at home.

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Through a teaching program about air quality, developed with high school teachers and the National Association of Science Teachers, students learn about sensor technology, environmental science and the health impacts of pollutants. Students collaborate in collecting data on particulate matter, temperature and monitoring their perceptions, validating air dispersion models and exploring how environmental conditions affect their well-being. By not just observing, but inviting those involved to assemble, measure, analyse and represent, the SCoolAir programme builds a replicable educational model that strengthens the links between schools and universities.

SCoolAir is a project conducted within the framework of the European call HE Impetus.

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By combining architectural, geospatial, landscape, and agronomic approaches, Next Generation Solar Landscapes seeks to redefine the relationship between energy production, land use, and landscape design. The research embraces a multidisciplinary team of three Research Unit.

• Politecnico di Torino (RU1), coordinated by Prof. Elena Vigliocco, with a team composed of architects, urban designers, and geomatics experts, is the lead unit of the project that has guided and developed the methodological and design framework of the research. Based on GIS-based mapping, spatial analysis, and morphological interpretation of photovoltaic landscapes, the team developed all the design strategies and transformation scenarios of the three selected case studies.
• Politecnico di Milano (RU2), coordinated by Prof. Sara Protasoni, contributes the perspective of landscape architecture, focusing on revamping, decommissioning and renaturalization design strategies and “what if” scenarios
• • Università degli Studi di Torino (RU3), coordinated by Prof. Amedeo Reyneri di Lagnasco, brings the expertise of agronomy and environmental sciences, addressing the ecological and productive impacts of land affected by ground-based photovoltaic installations.

The project is articulated into three main Work Packages (WP):

• WP1 – Photovoltaic landscapes and successful regeneration initiatives: a national-scale mapping and statistical analysis of ground-based photovoltaic fields, aimed at identifying spatial distribution, density, and typological characteristics of photovoltaic fields in each Italian region, providing a systematic overview of their territorial footprint;
• WP2 – Photovoltaic landscapes mapping and testing: a multiscalar and comparative mapping of three high-density and emblematic photovoltaic territories Brindisi (Puglia), Ravenna (Emilia Romagna), and Cuneo (Piedmont). Each case study explores site-specific design hypotheses for decommissioning, revamping or ecological reuse.
• WP3 – Regeneration solar landscapes Toolkit: a development of a Good Practice Toolkit providing design guidelines and operative frameworks for the spatial renewal of end-of-life photovoltaic fields, supporting public administrations, plannes and designers in managing the energy landscape transition.

Methodologically, the research integrates digital geo-information tools, GIS-based tools, morphological analysis, and design-based approach. Starting from the interpretation of the spatial structure of photovoltaic fields, the team developed a multi-scalar and multi-layered analytical and comparative matrix combining quantitative data with qualitative interpretation.

The resulting Atlas of Italian Solar Landscapes offers not only a descriptive mapping of the phenomenon but also an interpretative platform to support design-oriented decision-making, and the development of design scenarios for the adaptive reuse, reconfiguration, and ecological and landscape reintegration of end-of-life photovoltaic fields.

The project outcomes include:

• a national geodatabase of ground-based photovoltaic fields;
• a comparative atlas of three solar territories;
• and a toolkit of design and policy strategies for the regeneration of end-of-life photovoltaic landscapes.

By integrating architectural reasoning with landscape, agronomic and geomatic disciplines, Next Generation Solar Landscapes research demonstrates that the design of solar landscape cannot be separated from questions of urban form, ecology, and land use. The research thus contributes to a broader rethinking of how renewable energy infrastructures can shape, and be shaped by, the landscapes in which they are embedded.

The results of the project have been presented at international conferences and in scientific publications, including the open access book Designing Forms for Future Solarscapes. A Vision for the Italian Palimpsest (LetteraVentidue Edizioni), which brings together some of the results of the PRIN research.

Book website link: https://letteraventidue.com/it/libri/designing-forms-for-future-solarscapes-vigliocco

The project contributes to the international debate on energy transition and landscape design, positioning decommissioned photovoltaic fields as catalysts for a new generation of solar territories, and showing how the end-of-life of photovoltaic fields can become an opportunity to generate new forms of ecological and territorial balance.

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Subsequently, the focus shifted to the Dora district, a residential area to the east of the consolidated city, on which the project explorations conducted allowed the municipality to plan and systemise a series of operations concerning new school services and the redevelopment of some public spaces.

Following the two punctual experiences, the administration then asked the working group, together with FULL, to produce a strategic vision document on the future of the city, to support the PRGC Reconsideration process, which is currently being drafted.

The research work, which is currently in progress, no longer considers only a few transformation areas, but aims to provide the city with a new interpretation of the ongoing urban dynamics, capable of placing the individual transformation operations within a coherent strategic framework, which integrates explorations on a micro-urban scale on some specific places of attention, such as the ‘South Gate’ of the city, the Megalithic Area, and the sports complexes.

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The European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs), established under EC Regulation 1082/2006, are the first European cooperation structures to be granted legal personality. They evolved from forms of cross-border cooperation started in the 1950s, and gained strategic importance with the Interreg programmes (1989) until the recognition of territorial cooperation as a macro-objective of European cohesion policy (2007).

The research focuses on the growing relevance of EGTCs in the post-pandemic context, where COVID-19 highlighted both the fragility of sub-national integration processes – with the unilateral closures of national borders – and the strengthening of a coordinated movement of border regions claiming specific recognition and greater dissemination of cross-border public services.

The project analyses the 14 EGTCs with Italian participation officially registered with the Committee of the Regions (out of a total of 88 in Europe), which are characterised by considerable territorial, institutional and functional heterogeneity. This diversity – ascribable to specific territorial characteristics, longevity, pursued objectives, governance models, funding sources and levels of integration – calls for a systematic analytical approach that has been lacking until now.

The multi-disciplinary methodology combines legal-institutional, territorial and strategic-functional analysis through four operational phases:

• preliminary framing with comprehensive mapping and structured questionnaires;
• comparative analysis with taxonomy and modelling;
• in-depth interviews with the 14 case studies;
• and the elaboration of policy-oriented recommendations for DARA.

FULL conducts the analysis of the territorial aspects of EGTCs, focusing on spatial dimensions, multi-level governance and operational performance. The research examines internal and external governance models, organisational and financial dynamics, contextualising them in the European territorial cooperation landscape. Particular attention is devoted to the litterature review, as well as to the identification of the distinctive features of the most effective experiences in order to gain an understanding of the factors that determine operational success or criticality.

The objective is to produce in-depth scientific knowledge of the legal, organisational and operational forms of the Italian EGTCs, developing taxonomies and systematic comparisons in order to identify performance improvement guidelines. The project also aims at facilitating the exchange of experiences and good practices among EGTCs, supporting DARA in the definition of policies and guidelines for ex-ante evaluations and future assessments.

The results will include a concluding scientific report with policy-oriented recommendations, operational guidelines for EGTCs, academic publications and a public presentation event. The dissemination activities will involve diversified stakeholders – EGTCs, local institutions, civil society, research centres – using the communication channels of the National Research Council – Institute for Studies on Regional, Federal and Autonomous Systems “Massimo Severo Giannini” (CNR ISSIRFA).

Thanks to ITALIAE, it will be possible to set up the first systematic study on Italian EGTCs, providing a solid empirical basis for evidence-based policies and scientific support for the strengthening of European territorial cooperation in a context of increasing cross-border challenges.

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Border regions in the ESPON (European Spatial Planning Observation Network) area face complex obstacles that transcend legal and administrative dimensions, involving economic, political, cultural, cognitive and interpersonal aspects. The diversity of contexts – characterising the 27 EU Member States plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom – requires specific bottom-up approaches for multi-level cooperation, going beyond traditional ‘universal’ solutions.

Developed under the ESPON 2030 programme, CROSSGOV proposes an innovative approach centred on cross-border functional areas as a means of reducing barriers and facilitating the flows of people, goods, materials and knowledge. The perspective adopted goes beyond traditional definitions of ‘border regions’, developing new analytical frameworks to understand real interactions across administrative borders.

Integration is analysed through two dimensions: spatial interactions based on flows and barriers, and convergence of spatial characteristics driven by processes of homogeneity and discontinuity. However, these areas remain inadequately explained in their daily activities, representing a knowledge gap for European cohesion policies.

The methodology combines official Eurostat statistics, georeferenced big data and advanced web scraping techniques to dynamically represent functional areas. The main challenges include: scarcity of harmonised European data, lack of systematic information on functional flows (labour mobility, access to services, production networks), and complexity in the cartographic representation of institutional-territorial intertwining.

Comparative mapping, interactive visualisation and spatial analysis are the key tools to support more effective and evidence-based cooperation policies. The objective is to provide rigorous scientific understanding of functional areas and to formulate concrete recommendations for improving governance mechanisms in the ESPON space.

The research examines status quo and unexpressed potential of functional integration, identifying drivers, structural obstacles, emerging opportunities and evolutionary trends. Specific focus on multi-level governance mechanisms applicable to different European contexts.
FULL is also currently implementing two strategic case studies: the Espace Mont Blanc (Italy-France-Switzerland), an Alpine area with high functional integration and consolidated governance, and the Trieste Karst (Italy-Slovenia), a post-frontier region in the process of re-integration. These cases will make it possible to empirically test the models developed and develop recommendations that can be transferred to other European contexts.

Project outputs:

• Official ESPON website
• Final report
• Case studies analysed by FULL: Espace Mont Blanc and Kras-Carso-Trieste

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In this context, the ‘Alpine Crescent’ emerges as a living laboratory for observing emerging practices and envisioning scenarios for a ‘new mountain’. With this aim, the Politecnico di Torino launched a collaboration with the Municipality of Cuneo to analyze ongoing dynamics, outline development perspectives, and identify challenges and opportunities—promoting an integrated vision based on strategic and negotiated processes.

The ‘Alpine Crescent’ research project investigates the social, economic, and territorial transformations of the Cuneo alpine arc, focusing on the complex interactions between urban and mountain areas. Through quantitative data analysis and qualitative fieldwork, the project explores everyday practices of living, working, and mobility, as well as local perceptions and aspirations. The report “Mezzaluna alpina – Dynamics and Prospects of Metromountain Territories” presents the outcomes of this comprehensive listening and analysis process, supporting the development of strategic scenarios for sustainable growth and the enhancement of local resources.

The results, developed in collaboration with the Municipality of Cuneo and specifically with the Department for Metromountain Areas, include mapping residents’ mobility patterns, identifying emerging perceptions of the mountain, and highlighting key figures to deepen strategic issues—contributing to the construction of new visions for the contemporary mountain.

Scarica qui il report della ricerca.

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