Politecnico di Milano – Design Department | 22 and 23 September 2025

An interdisciplinary Symposium organised within the framework of the research project OSMOSI. Observation and Study of Design and Development Models of hybrid Spaces, places of urban experimentation and social Inclusion through creative and cultural activities*

*1 Project funded by the Ministry of University and Research through the National Research Program and Projects of Relevant National Interest (PRIN) 2022 fund. 

The symposium aims to collectively investigate the conceptual, practical and experimental role of Socio-cultural Hybrid Spaces as key actors in urban regeneration. It seeks to advance a shared understanding of how Socio-cultural Hybrid Spaces can drive sustainable urban transformation, enhance community participation, and integrate digital tools, such as the metaverse, to explore new dimensions of engagement and social innovation.

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Urban regeneration through culture is an evolving phenomenon characterised by increasing diffusion and institutionalisation. The emergence of numerous experiences across Italy, alongside systematic mapping and infrastructural efforts, highlights the structured nature of this social process. The intersection between cultural and social dimensions is progressively reshaping their traditional boundaries, giving rise to hybrid practices (Ostanel, 2025) that integrate space, culture, and citizenship toward common goals of urban revitalisation in a generative perspective. In Italy, approximately 10% of public real estate remains unused (Camocini, 2016) a situation exacerbated in recent years by the digitalisation of public services and the socio-spatial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (Legeby et al., 2022). This de-functionalisation of public interiors, defined as enclosed spaces within civic buildings and institutions (Pimlott, 2018), calls for innovative solutions to reimagine their role within the urban fabric. In this framework, the revitalisation of unused spaces aligns with broader sustainability goals, addressing resource inefficiency and promoting social inclusion. Italy’s “National Recovery and Resilience Plan” (“PNRR – Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza”) explicitly emphasises urban regeneration, supporting projects that refurbish public buildings to foster cultural, educational, and social services.

In this context, the Socio-cultural Hybrid Spaces emerge as pivotal agents of change. Positioned at the intersection of cultural production, social engagement, and urban transformation, these spaces extend beyond public interiors to encompass a wide range of underutilised sites. Former industrial buildings, farmsteads, kindergartens, churches, movie theatres, offices, gatehouses, and markets are among the spaces frequently. Often arising in response to urban fragmentation and social exclusion, they act as incubators for creative practices and social experimentation (Manzini, 2021). Characterised by their multifunctional and adaptive nature, they blend cultural, social, and economic dimensions, providing fertile ground for innovation and social cohesion (Krasilnikova & Klimov, 2020). Socio-cultural Hybrid Spaces encourage collaboration, co-creation, and active involvement from diverse stakeholders at different levels of interaction. These spaces not only serve as physical locations for social interaction but also become hubs for citizens participation and empowerment. In doing so, they evolve into active, living parts of the urban fabric, forming a continuum of public space.

Within this framework, the action-research project OSMOSI seeks to explore the impact of Socio-cultural Hybrid Spaces in Italy, focusing specifically on the regions of Lombardy and Sicily. OSMOSI is coordinated by the Polimi DESIS Lab Research Group, operating within the Department of Design at the Politecnico di Milano, within the co-coordination by the University of Palermo through its Department of Architecture. Additional contributions come from the Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering and the Department of Management Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano, as well as the Pedagogical and Psychological Department at the University of Palermo. The research is supported by two key Socio-cultural Hybrid Spaces located in the regions under investigation: BASE Milano in Lombardy and Farm Cultural Park in Sicily. OSMOSI aims to contribute to the emerging field of study concerning the impact of Socio-cultural Hybrid Spaces, proposing a framework to support their development and potential adaptability and scalability in several urban and extra-urban realms. The overarching aim of the research project is to develop a model capable of guiding Public Administrations and relevant situated stakeholders (Fassi & Vergani, 2022) in the experimentation and implementation of future Socio-cultural Hybrid Spaces that are socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable.

Among its core objectives, the project seeks to address the multifaceted challenge of fostering connections between geographically distant contexts. This entails enabling the convergence of diverse experiences and competencies across a variety of actors, and facilitating the activation of shared, participatory processes. In this regard, the metaverse – by virtue of its inherently participatory affordances – emerges as a promising environment for bridging spatial, social, and contextual divides, thereby offering novel opportunities for collaborative design practices. Within this framework, the experimentation conducted thus far has enabled the exploration of the metaverse not merely as a virtual replica of physical spaces – as hybrid more-than-spaces – a dynamic, generative, and relational ecosystem that transcends conventional spatial boundaries. The research critically investigates the potential of digital environments to support Participatory Design practices, with particular attention to the affordances and limitations of metaverse-based platforms. The project further aims to evaluate user engagement, assess the effectiveness of digital tools in mediating co-design processes, and reflect on their broader implications for spatial perception, social interaction, and innovation in design methodologies.

OSMOSI Symposium serves as an interdisciplinary open discourse aimed at fostering a community of scholars and practitioners interested in the intersection of Socio-cultural Hybrid Spaces, participatory urban regeneration processes, and digital experimentations. It seeks to advance a shared understanding of how Hybrid Spaces can drive sustainable urban transformation, enhance community participation, and integrate digital tools such as the metaverse to explore new dimensions of engagement and social innovation.

Building on this foundation, we seek contributions from scholars, designers, urban practitioners, policymakers, artists, cultural managers and experts in related fields who are willing to explore the questions raised in this Call. We particularly welcome contributions that combine theoretical reflection with references to real-world experiences, including case studies, multiple case study research, ethnography, action research, narrative inquiry, longitudinal or cross-sectional studies, etc.

The aim is to collectively investigate the conceptual, practical, plurality and experimental role of Hybrid Spaces as key actors in urban regeneration, particularly in relation to the following research axes:

1. Hybrid Spaces as a Plural Ecosystem
   

   Hybrid Spaces are incubators of urban change and social practices, reconfiguring underutilised buildings and spaces to create new forms of social, cultural, plural infrastructures. This track explores themes like adaptive reuse, urban regeneration, and the socio-spatial dynamics of Hybrid Spaces. They are often processual and evolving constructs, shaped through iterative, time-based practices rather than fixed spatial design outcomes. Hybrid Spaces adapt and transform in response to changing needs, resources, and communities, offering opportunities to reimagine urban, queer and plural ecologies through temporary, transitional, and experimental modes of inhabitation. How do these spaces interact with urban surroundings? What design and planning strategies enable them to foster accessible and sustainable environments? How can temporality and flexibility become assets in fostering long-term sustainability and adaptability?

   KEYWORDS: Urban Regeneration, Adaptive Reuse, Built Environment, Incubators for Social Practices 
   
   

2. The Public Value of Hybrid Spaces
   Hybrid Spaces generate multidimensional value – social, cultural, environmental, and economic – extending beyond traditional market-driven assessments. Inspired by plural and intersectional spatial practices, these spaces can become platforms for questioning hegemonic power structures and reconfiguring governance models to include queer, decolonial, and more-than-human voices that have been historically excluded from public realms. Ensuring their long-term economic sustainability while maintaining public accessibility is a key challenge. This track examines governance models, public-private partnerships, policy frameworks, and financial sustainability strategies that balance economic viability with public value. How can Hybrid Spaces be sustainable from the social, cultural, environmental and economic points of view? What governance and funding models best support their role as truly public and community-driven spaces?
   

   KEYWORDS: Public Value, Governance Models, Policy Innovation, Economic and Social Sustainability 
   
   

3. Cultural and Participatory synergies in reclaiming Public Spaces
   Cultural practices and participatory approaches play a crucial role in shaping, activating, and reclaiming public spaces as commons. This track explores how participatory processes intersect with creative industries, cultural production, and social innovation in redefining the democratic role of public space. Through collaborations among local communities, institutions, cultural actors, and grassroots organisations, new forms of publicness emerge. Particular attention is given to strategies that enable the involvement of under-represented groups, such as youth and marginalised communities, to ensure cultural initiatives remain accessible and deeply rooted in local realities. How can cultural initiatives support new alliances between institutions and communities? What forms of participation can strengthen the democratic role of public space?
   

   KEYWORDS: Participatory Design, Cultural Production, Community and More-than-human centered design, Under-represented groups Engagement
    

4. Digital Tools for New Models of Participation 
   

   Grounded in principles of plurality, queerness, empowerment, and co-creation, Participatory Design engages with digital technologies to open new opportunities for collaboration but also raises important questions and complexities. This track focuses on the transformative impact of digital technologies on participatory design practices, particularly within the context of cultural heritage, public space, and collective decision-making. The increasing integration of digital twins, metaverse environments, AI-driven co-design systems, and immersive storytelling is generating new models for stakeholders’ engagement and collaborative design processes. How can digital tools expand and democratise participatory processes in the design of public and cultural spaces? What challenges and opportunities arise in connecting physical and virtual environments for collective engagement?

   KEYWORDS: Digital Participatory Tools, Phygital Environments, AI Technologies, Extended Interactive Realities 
   
   

Important dates:

• Submission of full papers: 04/06/2025, Midnight (CET)

• Notification of acceptance: by 07/07/2025

• Symposium: Politecnico di Milano – Design Department (Milan), 22 -23 September 2025
  
  

How to participate: 
Full Papers should report on substantial and original research that advances Hybrid Spaces (from Spatial and Urban dimensions, Management practices, Participatory approaches and Digital interactions perspectives). Contributions must present unpublished research and are not allowed to be under concurrent review with other conferences or journals. Participation is free of charge but is subject to a peer-reviewed selection of submitted full papers. The selected papers will be part of a “Design International – Open Access” volume published with Franco Angeli editor. Full papers must be written in English and should comprise between 18000 and 21000 characters including spaces (excluding references).