Social Innovation
Social innovation provides an interpretive and planning framework for addressing urban transformations through new forms of collaboration among citizens, urban and regional government institutions, and universities. Research in this area explores how civic and political practices at the urban and regional levels can converge in the construction of an enabling city that recognizes and incorporates collective agency, including conflict. Particular attention is given to processes of co-production and collaborative governance in medium-sized European cities and to the relationship between social innovation and planning processes, with a focus on the role that the University plays in “its” territory. Among the publications on the topic: Orioli, V., Massari, M., Praticare l'urbanistica. Traiettorie tra innovazione sociale e pianificazione, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2023.
Urban and Territorial Regeneration
Territorial regeneration is examined as a multiscale process affecting small and medium-sized cities, metropolitan areas, networks of cities, and large-scale territories. The research considers regeneration as a physical and socio-cultural process aimed at promoting social innovation and the territory’s adaptability to climate change and the crises it faces. From this perspective, it addresses topics such as the restoration of cultural heritage, the transformation of social housing neighborhoods, the evolution of tourism, nature-based solutions for ecological connectivity, the river as an infrastructure for landscape and hydraulic regeneration, and the relationship between planning tools and regeneration strategies. Among the publications on the topic: Mucelli, E.; Orioli, V.; Rossl, S., eds., Beyond the River. Living Between Water and Land, Conegliano, Anteferma, 2026.
Urban History
The history—both of the physical formation and of the plans and projects, realized and unrealized, affecting the cities and territories under study—has always been a primary focus of research. History is examined as a starting point and reference for the processes of transformation in the present and future. From the same perspective, particular attention is also devoted to the history of urban planners and their disciplinary tools, including in peripheral contexts such as those of the Emilia-Romagna province, which constitutes one of the main areas of research. Among the publications on the subject: Orioli, V. (ed.), Historical Atlas of Italian Cities: Cesena, Bologna, Bologna University Press, 2025.
Public Space
Public space represents the place, both in a physical and socio-cultural sense, of interaction par excellence in cities. It is, in fact, the living space of communities and, for this reason, also a space traversed by multiple contradictions and conflicts. The research recognizes the specificity of public space design as a defining aspect of the discipline of urban planning and addresses this theme from the perspective of its democratization, adaptability, and safety. Among the publications on the topic: Orioli, V., La costruzione del Paesaggio attraverso il lavoro delle amministrazioni pubbliche. Alcune riflessioni a partire dall’esperienza del Comune di Bologna., in: Seminare Paesaggi. Occasioni di formazione sul tema del paesaggio nelle politiche locali di governo del territorio, Roma, Istituto Alcide Cervi, 2026, pp. 127 – 153
Active and Just Mobility
This research explores mobility as a social practice and an urban planning initiative, moving beyond a purely infrastructure-focused perspective. The focus is on active mobility (walking, cycling, public space) and mobility equity, understood as just and inclusive access to urban space. The study examines the relationship between mobility planning and urban planning, with a view toward greater inclusivity, environmental well-being, safety, and health, as well as the evolution of the debate within the Italian and European contexts. Among the publications on the topic: Orioli, V.; Bellinato, L.; Carlini, C., Bologna City 30. Experiences and Perspectives, “TEMA,” 2026, 1, pp. 51–63
Cultural Heritage
The research views cultural heritage as a common good that underpins the process of building local identity; it explores the themes of management and maintenance of urban historical heritage, with reference to the concepts of historic center, historic city, and historic urban landscape; it critically examines the processes of heritage designation underway in peripheral contexts and the relationship between conservation-management and urban planning, particularly within UNESCO sites. Among the publications on the topic: Orioli, V., Mariotti, C., Il Management Plan del sito UNESCO di Bologna. Sinergie a più livelli tra tutela e pianificazione urbana, «RESTAURO ARCHEOLOGICO», 2022, 2/2022 Special Issue 1972/2022 World Heritage in transition. About management, protection and sustainability, pp. 134 - 139
Social Housing
Social housing, understood as a fundamental urban element but also as one of the primary and most important public policy responses to the challenges facing contemporary cities, has always been a key research focus. In particular, historical research has been conducted on the development of suburbs in the post-World War II period in Italy and France, as well as on contemporary strategies for their regeneration. Among the publications on the topic: Balducci, V., Orioli, V. (a cura di), Le forme dello spazio abitabile. Trasformazioni dell'housing sociale a Cesena, Forlì, Bologna, Bologna, Bononia University Press, 2017
Seaside Tourism
Seaside tourism, critically examined in terms of its transformations and its relationship with urban growth and the urban planning of coastal territories, has always been one of the research areas. In particular, numerous studies have been conducted on the coastal territory of Romagna, which has been the subject of both historical research and in-depth planning studies with a view to adapting this particularly fragile environment to ongoing climate, demographic, and socio-economic changes. Among the publications on the topic: Balducci, V., Orioli, V., Spiagge urbane. Territori e architetture del turismo balneare in Romagna, Milano, BRUNO MONDADORI, 2013.
Urban Policies
In recent years, partly due to my role as a public administrator, my focus on all the research topics listed above has been consistently informed by the development and innovation of urban policies, with a particular emphasis on co-planning and co-design processes and institutional learning within local public authorities. From this perspective, the research has focused on observing the most recent cycle of national and European policies, with particular attention to the design and implementation of the PNRR and its effects in various urban and territorial contexts across the country. Among the publications on the topic: Armondi, S., Compagnucci, F., Fedeli, V., Orioli, V., Pacchi, C., Nono Rapporto sulle città. Le città e i territori del Pnrr. Attori, processi, politiche, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2024
