IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i2p829-d1321536.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The University and the Neighbourhood—Opportunities and Limits in Promoting Social Innovation: The Case of AuroraLAB in Turin (Italy)

Author

Listed:
  • Francesca Bragaglia

    (DIST—Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Turin, Italy)

Abstract

This paper deals with the relationship between university public engagement activities and local territories in promoting social innovation processes. In particular, this paper starts from the assumption that since social innovation has become a guiding concept of policies at various scales, opportunities for innovation, i.e., calls for tenders, funding, etc., have multiplied. However, universities should act as intermediary actors so that the bureaucratic and managerial complexities of accessing these opportunities do not risk cutting off the territories and/or the weakest actors. Starting from the experience of the AuroraLAB action–research laboratory of the Politecnico di Torino within the Tonite project financed with European Urban Innovative Actions funds, this article investigates the multiple roles that the university can play in supporting platform spaces for inclusive social innovation based on local needs. This article concludes by highlighting the multi-layered personality of the university in neighbourhoods and the perspectives for socially engaged research.

Suggested Citation

  • Francesca Bragaglia, 2024. "The University and the Neighbourhood—Opportunities and Limits in Promoting Social Innovation: The Case of AuroraLAB in Turin (Italy)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-15, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:2:p:829-:d:1321536
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/2/829/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/2/829/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:taf:cjudxx:v:23:y:2018:i:5:p:780-797 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Koen Bartels, 2020. "Transforming the relational dynamics of urban governance: How social innovation research can create a trajectory for learning and change," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(14), pages 2868-2884, November.
    3. Stefano Moroni & Luca Tricarico, 2018. "Distributed energy production in a polycentric scenario: policy reforms and community management," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(11), pages 1973-1993, September.
    4. Charles Leddy-Owen & Guido Robazza & Lexie Scherer, 2018. "Participatory design, temporary structures and the appropriation of urban space by marginalized youth: the problem of the Odd Triangle," Journal of Urban Design, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(5), pages 780-795, September.
    5. Ezio Micelli & Elena Ostanel & Luca Lazzarini, 2023. "“Wanna Be Provoked”: Inner Peripheries Generators of Social Innovation in the Italian Apennine," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-23, April.
    6. Dmitri Domanski & Jürgen Howaldt & Christoph Kaletka, 2020. "A comprehensive concept of social innovation and its implications for the local context – on the growing importance of social innovation ecosystems and infrastructures," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(3), pages 454-474, March.
    7. Pol, Eduardo & Ville, Simon, 2009. "Social innovation: Buzz word or enduring term?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 878-885, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hugo Pinto & Carla Nogueira & J. André Guerreiro & Fábio Sampaio, 2021. "Social Innovation and the Role of the State: Learning from the Portuguese Experience on Multi-Level Interactions," World, MDPI, vol. 2(1), pages 1-19, January.
    2. Rosalia Diaz-Carrion & Noelia Franco-Leal, 2022. "Social and strategic innovation: extending the varieties of capitalism to asian countries," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 1453-1474, December.
    3. Petteri Repo & Kaisa Matschoss, 2019. "Social Innovation for Sustainability Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-12, December.
    4. Jui-Che Tu & Xu Zhang & Xipeng Liao, 2024. "Analysis of Domain Intersection and Knowledge Evolution—The Development of the Fields of Social Innovation and Design Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-21, March.
    5. Baran Grzegorz, 2020. "Social Innovation Living Labs as Platforms to Co-design Social Innovations," Journal of Intercultural Management, Sciendo, vol. 12(1), pages 36-57, March.
    6. Sriroop Chaudhuri & Mimi Roy & Louis M. McDonald & Yves Emendack, 2021. "Reflections on farmers’ social networks: a means for sustainable agricultural development?," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 2973-3008, March.
    7. Raquel Francisco Mafra & Jacir Leonir Casagrande & Ana Regina de Aguiar Dutra & Nei Antonio Nunes & Felipe Texeira Dias & Samuel Borges Barbosa & José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra, 2024. "Social Innovation as a Support for the Visibility of Vulnerable Communities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-22, May.
    8. Malte Jütting, 2020. "Exploring Mission-Oriented Innovation Ecosystems for Sustainability: Towards a Literature-Based Typology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-28, August.
    9. Paul Windrum & Doris Schartinger & Luis Rubalcaba & Faiz F. Gallouj & Marja Toivonen, 2016. "The co-creation of multi-agent social innovations," Post-Print halshs-01322603, HAL.
    10. Ivana Živojinović & Alice Ludvig & Karl Hogl, 2019. "Social Innovation to Sustain Rural Communities: Overcoming Institutional Challenges in Serbia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-27, December.
    11. Tânia Martins & Alexandra Braga & Marisa R. Ferreira & Vítor Braga, 2022. "Diving into Social Innovation: A Bibliometric Analysis," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-18, April.
    12. Tachia Chin & Yin Yang & Pei Zhang & Xiaofen Yu & Luying Cao, 2019. "Co-creation of Social Innovation: Corporate Universities as Innovative Strategies for Chinese Firms to Engage with Society," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-13, March.
    13. Sofia Morgado, 2021. "Urban Rehabilitation, Social Innovation, and New Working Spaces in Lisbon," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-14, October.
    14. Lorenzo De Vidovich & Luca Tricarico & Matteo Zulianello, 2023. "How Can We Frame Energy Communities’ Organisational Models? Insights from the Research ‘Community Energy Map’ in the Italian Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-25, January.
    15. Ayla ESEN & Ozen ASIK-DIZDAR, 2014. "Regional Innovation As Part Of Regional Development Agenda In Turkey: The Role Of Development Agencies," Regional and Sectoral Economic Studies, Euro-American Association of Economic Development, vol. 14(1), pages 145-158.
    16. Edwards-Schachter,Mónica & Wallace,Matthew, 2015. "âShaken, but not stirredâ: six decades defining social innovation," INGENIO (CSIC-UPV) Working Paper Series 201504, INGENIO (CSIC-UPV).
    17. Evgeny Popov & Anna Veretennikova & Alisa Safronova, 2020. "Mathematical Support for Financing Social Innovations," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-25, December.
    18. Attila Havas & Doris Schartinger & K. Matthias Weber, 2022. "Innovation Studies, Social Innovation, and Sustainability Transitions Research: From mutual ignorance towards an integrative perspective?," CERS-IE WORKING PAPERS 2227, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.
    19. Tan, Wee-Liang & Zuckermann, Ghil'ad, 2021. "External impetus, co-production and grassroots innovations: The case of an innovation involving a language," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    20. Anita De Franco & Elisabetta Venco & Roberto De Lotto & Caterina Pietra & Florian Kutzner & Mona Bielig & Melanie Vogel, 2023. "Drivers, Motivations, and Barriers in the Creation of Energy Communities: Insights from the City of Segrate, Italy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-13, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:2:p:829-:d:1321536. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.