Doctoral Education in Planning and Urban Studies in Italy: what is it really for? Introduction and Editorial note

Data show the reduction of academic positions in Italy and invite to reconsider the role of PhD education and training as the highest level of university education. In fact, although PhDs seem to have a little advantage over Master’s level graduates in the job market, only about 10% find a job at universities. This suggests that changes in PhD programmes might be needed to match students’ needs and job market requirements. However, the opposite is also true with employers, either in the public or private sector, who should try to absorb more PhDs and use their skills and expertise. The aim of this special issue is to analyse PhD education in Italy with a focus on planning and urban studies programmes by emphasising the perspectives of PhD candidates and freshly awarded Doctors since they are generally neglected in reform processes. All authors who contributed to this special issue reflected on the same aim stressing different implications and perspectives. The topics investigated are: matching between students’ expectations and institutional goals, the international mobility of PhD candidates, experiences of international PhD students in Italy, and the evolution of two of the oldest PhD programmes in planning in Italy at Sapienza, Rome and Iuav, Venice

Conditions for networked co-production through digital participatory platforms in urban planning

Contemporary urban development is increasingly characterized by collaboration and co-production between ‘experts’ and the ‘public’ in urban planning processes. Recently, local planning actors have adopted digital participatory platforms (DPPs) which are specifically built for networked engagement and collaboration purposes. However, the knowledge on embedding DPPs in wider planning dialogues is still limited and scattered. The aim of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the organizational conditions for the successful adoption and implementation of such networked co-production. Through a set of semi-structured interviews with representatives from public agencies and platform companies, we have analysed how organizational conditions for networked co-production manifest themselves in seven cases of DPP implementation. The analysis shows that these conditions are co-constitutive and co-evolutive rather than concurrent or sequential, with strong links between the compatibility of public agencies, attitudes to co-production, organizational cultures and incentives for co-production. The results critically emphasize the need to adopt holistic approaches to networked co-production, allowing for extensive experimentation and ‘learning by doing’

Using social network analysis in the classroom: a case study applying nodeXL

The interest in social networks has extended to different disciplines, such as Computer Science. This approach brings Social Network Analysis (SNA) as the study of social structure in different environments, like companies, establishment, and schools, among others. For this reason, this article highlights basic network information like graphs using actors and relations and important concepts related to classroom like structure which constitutes it. Therefore, the main aim of this research is to examine the educational use of SNA. Furthermore, schools in society are a system of actors joined by relationships. Accordingly, the current paper presents a qualitative analysis through a practical approach of SNA, by describing the classroom as a sociometric experiment using NodeXL, to verify the contrast keeping attention in show how students make informal contact and the knowledge that this brings.XIII Workshop Tecnología Informática Aplicada en Educación (WTIAE)Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Using social network analysis in the classroom: a case study applying nodeXL

The interest in social networks has extended to different disciplines, such as Computer Science. This approach brings Social Network Analysis (SNA) as the study of social structure in different environments, like companies, establishment, and schools, among others. For this reason, this article highlights basic network information like graphs using actors and relations and important concepts related to classroom like structure which constitutes it. Therefore, the main aim of this research is to examine the educational use of SNA. Furthermore, schools in society are a system of actors joined by relationships. Accordingly, the current paper presents a qualitative analysis through a practical approach of SNA, by describing the classroom as a sociometric experiment using NodeXL, to verify the contrast keeping attention in show how students make informal contact and the knowledge that this brings.XIII Workshop Tecnología Informática Aplicada en Educación (WTIAE)Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Concomitant mutations G12D and G13D on the exon 2 of the KRAS gene. Two cases of women with colon adenocarcinoma

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is rapidly increasing representing the second most frequent cause of cancer-related deaths. From a clinical-molecular standpoint the therapeutically management of CRC focuses on main alterations found in the RAS family protein, where single mutations of KRAS are considered both the hallmark and the target of this tumor. Double and concomitant alterations of KRAS are still far to be interpreted as molecular characteristics which could potentially address different and more personalized treatments for patients. Here, we firstly describe the case of two patients at different stages (pT2N0M0 and pT4cN1cM1) but similarly showing a double concurrent mutations G12D and G13D in the exon 2 of the KRAS gene, normally mutually exclusive. We also evaluated genetic testing of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPYD) and microsatellite instability (MSI) by real-time PCR and additional molecular mutations by next generation sequencing (NGS) which resulted coherently to the progression of the disease. Accordingly, we reinterpreted and discuss the clinical history of both cases treated as single mutations of KRAS but similarly progressing towards a metastatic asset. We concluded that double mutations of KRAS cannot be interpreted as univocal genomic alterations and that they could severely impact the clinical outcome in CRC, requiring a tighter monitoring of patients throughout the time.Abstract: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is rapidly increasing representing the second most frequent cause of cancer-related deaths. From a clinical-molecular standpoint the therapeutically management of CRC focuses on main alterations found in the RAS family protein, where single mutations of KRAS are considered both the hallmark and the target of this tumor. Double and concomitant alterations of KRAS are still far to be interpreted as molecular characteristics which could potentially address different and more personalized treatments for patients. Here, we firstly describe the case of two patients at different stages (pT2N0M0 and pT4cN1cM1) but similarly showing a double concurrent mutations G12D and G13D in the exon 2 of the KRAS gene, normally mutually exclusive. We also evaluated genetic testing of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPYD) and microsatellite instability (MSI) by real-time PCR and additional molecular mutations by next generation sequencing (NGS) which resulted coherently to the progression of the disease. Accordingly, we reinterpreted and discuss the clinical history of both cases treated as single mutations of KRAS but similarly progressing towards a metastatic asset. We concluded that double mutations of KRAS cannot be interpreted as univocal genomic alterations and that they could severely impact the clinical outcome in CRC, requiring a tighter monitoring of patients throughout the time

Between Consultation and Collaboration: Self-Reported Objectives for 25 Web-Based Geoparticipation Projects in Urban Planning

Web-based participatory mapping technologies are being increasingly harnessed by local governments to crowdsource local knowledge and engage the public in urban planning policies as a means of increasing the transparency and legitimacy of planning processes and decisions. We refer to these technologies as “geoparticipation”. Current innovations are outpacing research into the use of geoparticipation in participatory planning practices. To address this knowledge gap, this paper investigates the objectives of web-based geoparticipation and uses empirical evidence from online survey responses related to 25 urban planning projects in nine countries across three continents (Europe, North America, and Australia). The survey adopts the objectives of the Spectrum for Public Participation that range from information empowerment, with each category specifying promises about how public input is expected to influence decision-making (IAP2, 2018). Our findings show that geoparticipation can leverage a ‘middle-ground’ of citizen participation by facilitating involvement alongside consultation and/or collaboration. This paper constitutes a pilot study as a step toward more robust and replicable empirical studies for cross-country comparisons. Empowerment (or citizen control) is not yet a normative goal or outcome for web-based geoparticipation. Our evidence also suggests that information is pursued alongside other objectives for citizen participation, and therefore functions not as a “low-hanging fruit” as portrayed in the literature, but rather as a core component of higher intensities of participation

Using social network analysis in the classroom: a case study applying nodeXL

The interest in social networks has extended to different disciplines, such as Computer Science. This approach brings Social Network Analysis (SNA) as the study of social structure in different environments, like companies, establishment, and schools, among others. For this reason, this article highlights basic network information like graphs using actors and relations and important concepts related to classroom like structure which constitutes it. Therefore, the main aim of this research is to examine the educational use of SNA. Furthermore, schools in society are a system of actors joined by relationships. Accordingly, the current paper presents a qualitative analysis through a practical approach of SNA, by describing the classroom as a sociometric experiment using NodeXL, to verify the contrast keeping attention in show how students make informal contact and the knowledge that this brings.XIII Workshop Tecnología Informática Aplicada en Educación (WTIAE)Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Implications of development rights granting procedures

Over the last fifteen years and particularly from the early 2000s, relatively new planning gain procedures have been introduced within the Italian planning legislation and practice. Such instruments base their rationale upon the concept of developers’ contribution for the provision of community facilities and services. This is justified by the lack of financial resources which affects local planning authorities and therefore their ability to provide for these services. In recent years, trends tend to confirm an increase in the use of such tools as well as in the range of facilities developers must provide. However, the practices in use differ from each other on the basis of the nature of development rights granted to developers and may constitute cause of delays within the planning process. Particularly, regarding development plans preparation and approval processes. Practices are mainly three and their use varies with regard to the context and objectives aimed at. Nevertheless, there is one basic and common target: to recoup and return some development value to the community. The first practice aims at an equal treatment of landowners and of their property rights, granting the same amount of development rights, independent of the use allocated on their parcels, in order to achieve the overarching cited objective. The second is a form of compensation for the loss of part or of the whole market value as a consequence of a public planning action. The last practice works as a bonus to developers and aims to incentive certain characteristics and uses of development proposals. The use of these practices involves some main implications, such as transfer and purchase of development rights, relationship between involved landowners of sending and receiving areas, scope and rationale underlying planning gain procedures, which need to be examined to understand the evolution of the current Italian planning system

Implications of Development Rights Granting Procedures

Abstract Over the last fifteen years and particularly from the early 2000s, relatively new planning gain procedures have been introduced within the Italian planning legislation and practice. Such instruments base their rationale upon the concept of developers' contribution for the provision of community facilities and services. This is justified by the lack of financial resources which affects local planning authorities and therefore their ability to provide for these services. In recent years, trends tend to confirm an increase in the use of such tools as well as in the range of facilities developers must provide. However, the practices in use differ from each other on the basis of the nature of development rights granted to developers and may constitute cause of delays within the planning process. Particularly, regarding development plans preparation and approval processes. Practices are mainly three and their use varies with regard to the context and objectives aimed at. Nevertheless, there is one basic and common target: to recoup and return some development value to the community. The first practice aims at an equal treatment of landowners and of their property rights, granting the same amount of development rights, independent of the use allocated on their parcels, in order to achieve the overarching cited objective. The second is a form of compensation for the loss of part or of the whole market value as a consequence of a public planning action. The last practice works as a bonus to developers and aims to incentive certain characteristics and uses of development proposals. The use of these practices involves some main implications, such as transfer and purchase of development rights, relationship between involved landowners of sending and receiving areas, scope and rationale underlying planning gain procedures, which need to be examined to understand the evolution of the current Italian planning system