DISCUSSING SPATIAL JUSTICE FROM/TOWARDS A SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Organizers

Alessia Franzese, Università Iuav di Venezia
Luca Nicoletto, Università Iuav di Venezia
Valeria Volpe, Università degli Studi Roma Tre
Elena Bruno, Università degli Studi di Catania

Presenters

Anastasia Battani, Università IUAV di Venezia
Elena Marchigiani, Università degli Studi di Trieste
Gabriele Leo, Università IUAV di Venezia
Renzo Sgolacchia, Amsterdam Academy of Architecture
Matteo Giacomelli, Politecnico di Milano
Marina Volpe, Università degli studi di Napoli "Federico II" - Diarc
Ludovica Battista, Università degli studi di Napoli "Federico II" - Diarc
Elena Longhin, TU Delft
Nicola Russolo, Università IUAV di Venezia
Vanessa Oblitas, Programa Municipal para la Recuperación del Centro Histórico de Lima
Longo Alessandra, Università IUAV di Venezia
Anna Pollionato, Università IUAV di Venezia
Anna Attademo, Università degli studi di Napoli "Federico II" - Diarc
Verena Lenna, VUB Bruxelles
Battista Ludovica, Università degli studi di Napoli “Federico II” - Diarc
Maria Cerreta, Università degli studi di Napoli “Federico II” - Diarc

In a world shaped by interconnected environmental and social crises, spatial justice assumes a transversal and complex dimension involving the relationships between living beings. Socio-ecological justice emerges as one of the main challenges of our time, tied to the necessity of addressing inequalities – not only economic or material but also symbolic and political – in the distribution and access to collective resources across territories and communities. 

The concept of "justice" is being tested by various theoretical currents and social movements. Theories of deep ecology, as well as feminist, transfeminist, and post-colonial movements, challenge us to move beyond an anthropocentric view of justice. They remind us that within the same context, actors coexist with divergent – often contradictory and sometimes conflicting – conceptions of what is "just" and "unjust". This plurality of perspectives generates dialectical debate and potential tensions that call for governance and territorial planning of new negotiation modes. 

The right to space becomes a central tool for interpreting and governing socio-ecological contexts in favor of (or on behalf of) the plural and fragile subjectivities inhabiting these territories. In this sense, urban planning practice and research take on the characteristics of agency and advocacy. 

How can we rethink justice in broader terms to include the rights of ecosystems and non-human species? Is there a way to move beyond a hierarchical vision between social justice and ecological justice? Who are the subjects included in the decision-making and planning processes? Which voices are heard, and which remain marginalized? To what extent can urban planning intervene to enable emancipatory processes? 

Starting from studies initiated by the spatial turn, spatial and territorial justice, the current planetary scale of urban phenomena highlights the need to delve into the spatial implications of urban and territorial policies, serving as a lens revealing the inequalities among living beings. Particularly since the pandemic, European cities have been undergoing urban transformation, driven by new initiatives and “recovery” policies such as Next Generation EU, aimed at a “sustainable, uniform, inclusive, and equitable recovery.” 

In this perspective, urban planning – as a theoretical field and design practice – can explore new critical approaches to understanding intersubjective relationships, as spatial dynamics can amplify and consolidate or, conversely, mitigate socio-ecological inequalities. Are these experiences potential laboratories to redefine the conditions for socio-ecological justice? How are they (or not) constructing different spatial configurations to foster alternative forms of justice and resource accessibility? How can spatial design become a device to imagine new ways or models of coexistence where plural subjectivities and ecological systems can live together more equitably?

Key words: Spatial Justice, Socio-ecological Perspective, Governance & Urban Design