Professor in urban and territorial planning at the Polytechnic of Turin, he spent ten years of his academic life at the University of Leuven (KUL), in Belgium, and two years as a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship researcher at the University College of London (Bartlett School of Planning) and at Science Po in Paris (Center for European Studies).He has been the coordinator of the FULL Interdepartmental Centre since 2022.His expertise is built through the intersection of three domains: (a) spatial planning studies, (b) territorial and socio-spatial analyses, and (c) community-led and strategic spatial planning initiatives in Europe.He has devoted his research to the issues of territorial cohesion and the role of the EU cohesion policies in spatial dynamics, the rise of lagging behind places and territorial initiatives dedicated to marginal(ised) areas, the design of multilevel governance processes and tailored arenas for the activation of local development strategies, and the implementation of integrated urban and territorial redevelopment programs.
