Community Planning and Ecological Design in Sicily, Italy
2023 Summer Program in Community Planning and Ecological Design (CoPED) in Sicily
Department of Urban Planning and Community Development
School for the Environment
University of Massachusetts Boston
June 17-28, 2023
Program Overview 2023
The Department of Urban Planning and Community Development at UMass Boston is pleased to offer students interested in resident-led environmental stewardship and planning the opportunity to learn about and contribute to community-based organizations’ efforts to generate planning processes for a more sustainable and equitable Sicily (Italy). The CoPED program is a 10-day-long field experience in one distressed area on the Eastern Coast of Sicily. The program aims to study and directly contribute to the efforts of local officials and community organizations toward promoting regional development inspired by the values of social solidarity and environmental sustainability.
The program offers the opportunity to learn about community development from an interdisciplinary perspective through a participatory action research methodology.
Every year, a coalition of community-based organizations in Easter Sicily is identified to work in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts at Boston (UMB), the University of Memphis (UoM), and the local University of Catania (UniCT). The selected coalition prioritizes a particular issue or set of issues the CoPED Program is expected to address. Throughout the program, students collaborate with community members to carry out research and development initiatives that contribute to shaping a strategic plan. Some likely topics are water cycle enhancement, alternative means of mobility, circular economy, organic and culture-led farming, cultural heritage and tourism, historic preservation, etc.
UPCD faculty will supervise a 3 credit field-based graduate course for UMass Boston students participating in the program. The UPCD course listed for this summer course is UPCD 622-01Z Citizen Participation.
Tuition fee for the course $ 799 to be paid to UMB Bursar's Office (special pricing for UMass Boston matriculated students)
Educational Objectives and Pedagogy
Following an engaged-learning methodology, CoPED gives participants the opportunity to:
- Experience action research through the constant collaboration with a broad network of local actors (public, private, non-profit) contributing to a real process of development in one of the most disadvantaged European Regions;
- Enrich knowledge of the theory and practice of community development through activities combining lectures and study sessions led by international scholars;
- Be part of an interdisciplinary team that will allow learning from colleagues with the same interests but different backgrounds and experiences. Plenary activities will be paralleled with interdisciplinary small-team working sessions led by experienced scholars and local community members.
Institutional Sponsors
- This 7th Annual Summer Program in Community Planning and Ecological Design in Sicily is being co-sponsored by:
- Parliament Watch Italia – The NGO working on open government projects in Italy and partner of several organizations in Sicily;
- The University of Catania – The Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture (DiCAR) at UniCT has a long history of engaging and partnering with disadvantaged communities in Eastern Sicily;
- The University of Massachusetts Boston – The Department of Urban Planning and Community Development (UPCD) has collaborated with UniCT in various research and teaching capacities. UMB faculty and students will contribute their planning and design knowledge and skills to this year’s summer program;
- The University of Memphis – The School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy (SUAPP) at UoM has been involved since the very beginning with UniCT and is, along with UMB, the other US-based academic partner running the CoPED Program.
Location
The 2023 CoPED Summer School will be taking place in South Messina (Sicily, Italy). Students and faculty will stay at Hotel Europa in South Messina and work on the 2023 CoPED headquarter at Villa Cianciafara. During the program, meals will be offered in various locations in Messina, including the hotel. All meals, lodging, ground transport, field research expenses, teaching, and organizational services are provided by Parliament Watch Italia.
Important Dates:
Travel
Departure from Logan Airport: Friday, June 16th, 2023
Departure from Catania Airport: Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Field-Based Learning
Summer School Begins (Kick-off welcome dinner):Saturday, June 17, 2023
Summer School Concludes:Thursday, June 27, 2023
Costs
Parliament Watch Italia
The fee includes meals, lodging, ground transport, field research expenses, teaching, and organizational services. Does not include airfare to and from Italy. $ 2,000
University of Massachusetts Boston Graduate Credit Special Fee (3-credit course) $ 799
Estimated round trip airfare from Boston to Catania $ 1,000
Total Cost $ 3,799
Important Dates and Deadlines
April 16th: Applicants will be notified of acceptance before April 2nd, 2023, and must be prepared to pay a deposit of $500 to Parliament Watch Italia by April 16th, 2023.
May 14th: Participants must pay the balance of Parliament Watch Italia and the UMass Boston Graduate Tuition Fee by May 14th, 2023.
American citizens need a valid passport only; no visa is required. International students should consult the Italian Consulate for specific visa requirements.
Participating Faculty
- Antonio Raciti, Associate Professor, Department of Urban Planning and Community Development, UMass Boston;
- Kenneth M. Reardon, Chair and Professor, Department of Urban Planning and Community Development, UMass Boston;
- Katherine Lambert-Pennington, Associate Professor in Anthropology and SUAPP Director, University of Memphis;
- Laura Saija, Associate Professor in City and Regional Planning, DiCAR, University of Catania.
Readings
Extract from: Magnaghi, A. (2005). The Urban Village: A Charter for Democracy and Sustainable Development in the City. Zed books.
Extract from: Smith, D. M., & Finley, M. I. (1968). A history of Sicily (Vol. 2). Chatto & Windus.
Mangione, J. (1985). A passion for Sicilians: The world around Danilo Dolci. Transaction Publishers.
Raciti, A. (2016). Building Collective Knowledge Through Design: The Making of the Contrada Nicolò Riparian Garden Along the Simeto River (Sicily, Italy). Landscape Research, 41(1), 45-63.
Raciti, A., & Saija, L. (2018). From ecosystem services to Ecological Devices: The CoPED Summer School experience in the Simeto River Valley, Italy. Journal of Urban Management.
Saija, L. (2014). Proactive conservancy in a contested milieu: from social mobilization to community-led resource management in the Simeto Valley. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 57(1), 27-49.
For Additional Information contact:
Antonio Raciti
Associate Professor of Community Planning and Ecological Design
Department of Urban Planning and Community Development
School for the Environment
Room 1740 - Integrated Science Building
Office Phone - 617-287-3848
E-mail - antonio.raciti@umb.edu
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Program Overview 2022
The MS in Urban Planning and Community Development Program (UPCD) at the UMass Boston is pleased to offer students interested in resident-led environmental stewardship the opportunity to learn about and contribute to one of Europe’s most ambitious regional sustainability initiatives. Over the past ten years, grassroots organizations, university researchers, and local municipalities in the Simeto River Valley (Sicily, Italy) have worked to develop and implement key elements of the SIMETO RIVER AGREEMENT, an internationally recognized community development plan, designed to enhance the liveability and sustainability of one of the world’s richest archeological, cultural, and agricultural river valleys.
The CoPED International Summer School engages students and faculty from European and American universities to undertake community-based research to advance one of the Agreement’s major development objectives selected by the SIMETO PARTICIPATORY PRESIDIUM, the primary organization responsible for its implementation. Using action research methods, students have the opportunity to work with their Italian colleagues, international researchers, local activists, and elected officials on key development strategies for the Simeto Valley, which feature inter- and intra-species solidarity with technical expertise in community planning and ecological design.
This summer CoPED will develop a project focus on the water-society connection, exploring community planning and ecological designs to adapt to climate change challenges especially those related to urban flooding. This project is part of a current and larger effort undertaken by the Presidium to establish the Simeto River Valley Eco-Museum, a new major initiative of the Simeto River Agreement.
Educational Objectives and Pedagogy
Following a service-learning and participatory action research methodology, the workshop gives participants the opportunity to:
Experience action-research through the constant collaboration with a broad network of local actors (public, private, nonprofit) that have been active in conceiving, shaping and implementing the Simeto River Agreement, contributing to a real process of development in one of the most disadvantaged European Regions;
Enrich your knowledge on theory and practice of community development, planning, and design through lectures and study sessions led by internationally acclaimed scholars;
Be part of an interdisciplinary team that will give the opportunity of learning from colleagues with the same interests but different background and experiences. Plenary activities will be paralleled with interdisciplinary small team working sessions, led by experienced scholars and members of the local community.
Institutional Sponsors
This Annual Summer Program in Community Planning and Ecological Design in Sicily is being co-sponsored by the:
The Simeto Participatory Presidium – The community-based organization responsible for initiating the highly participatory planning process that produced the Simeto River Agreement;
University of Catania – The Simeto Participatory Presidium oldest university research, planning, design and development partner;
University of Massachusetts Boston – The Simeto Participatory Presidium newest academic sponsor whose faculty and students will be contributing their planning and design knowledge and skills to this year’s Summer Program and whose faculty will be supervising a 3-credit field-based graduate course for UMass Boston students participating in the program.
Location
CoPED will be taking place in the ten towns located along the Simeto River. Students and faculty will be sharing meals and lodging at a series of Bed and Breakfast facilities whose owners are active members of the various associations that are part of the Participatory Presidium. All meals, lodging, ground transport, field research expenses, teaching and organizational services are provided by “Presidio Partecipativo del Patto di Fiume Simeto”.
Travel
Professor Antonio Raciti will advise accepted participants on travel arrangements to/from Catania.
Field-Based Learning:
Program begins (Welcome dinner): Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Program concludes (Good-bye dinner): Saturday, June 20, 2020
Participating Faculty
Antonio Raciti, Assistant Professor, Graduate Program in Urban Planning and Community Development, UMass Boston;
Kenneth M. Reardon, Professor and Director, Graduate Program in Urban Planning and Community Development, UMass Boston;
Katherine Lambert-Pennington, Associate Professor in Anthropology, University of Memphis;
Laura Saija, Assistant Professor in City and Regional Planning, University of Catania.Courses and Credit
All participants will register for UPCD 622, Citizen Participation (3 graduate credits). Credit will be granted by UMass Boston, but qualified students, including recent graduates, from other universities are welcome to participate on a credit or non-credit basis, space permitting.
Schedule & Fees
June 10th – 20th , 2020
$3,700
Breakdown of Cost:
$1,700: Logistics Fee, paid directly to “Presidio Partecipativo del Patto di Fiume Simeto”. This fee includes meals, lodging, ground transport, and field research expenses, teaching and organizational services.
$1,000: University of Massachusetts Boston Graduate Tuition Fee.
$1,000: Estimated round trip airfare from Boston to CataniaTuition fee subject to increase for low enrolled programs. Round trip airfare is the responsibility of the participant. Please do not purchase airfare or make travel arrangements until you have received formal notice of acceptance into the program. Participants who do not travel round trip from the U.S. must also purchase their own emergency evacuation insurance.
To Apply
Application and Payment Deadlines:
April 1: Application deadline.
April 15: Deposit of $500 to “Presidio Partecipativo del Patto di Fiume Simeto”. (Applicants will be notified of acceptance before April 14th 2020.)
May 15: Participants must pay the balance of “Presidio Partecipativo del Patto di Fiume Simeto” and the UMass Boston Graduate Tuition.American citizens need a valid passport only; no visa required. International students should consult the Italian Consulate for specific visa requirements.
Completed applications will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis until the course is full. Early applications are strongly encouraged. Applications received after the deadline will be considered if space is available.
* Please note that tuition waivers cannot be applied toward any study abroad program fees. All program payments must be paid in full prior to departure in order to participate in the program.
Readings
Extract from: Magnaghi, A. (2005). The Urban Village: A Charter for Democracy and Sustainable Development in the City. Zed books.
Extract from: Smith, D. M., & Finley, M. I. (1968). A history of Sicily (Vol. 2). Chatto & Windus.
Mangione, J. (1985). A passion for Sicilians: The world around Danilo Dolci. Transaction Publishers.
Raciti, A. (2016). Building Collective Knowledge Through Design: The Making of the Contrada Nicolò Riparian Garden Along the Simeto River (Sicily, Italy). Landscape Research, 41(1), 45-63.
Raciti, A., & Saija, L. (2018). From ecosystem services to Ecological Devices: The CoPED Summer School experience in the Simeto River Valley, Italy. Journal of Urban Management.
Saija, L. (2014). Proactive conservancy in a contested milieu: from social mobilisation to community-led resource management in the Simeto Valley. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 57(1), 27-49.
Saija, L., & Pappalardo, G. (2018). An argument for action research-inspired participatory mapping. Journal of Planning Education and Research.
Request More InformationFor further academic information please contact:
Antonio Raciti, Assistant Professor
Graduate Program in Urban Planning and Community Development
School for the Environment
University of Massachusetts Boston
100 Morrissey Blvd
Boston, MA 02125
t: 617-287-3848
e: antonio.raciti@umb.edu
Disclaimer
Please be advised that international programs are subject to change, slight or major, at any time due to circumstances beyond our control; this includes any and all fees, dates, itinerary, and program activities. We will do our best to inform all applicants of any changes in as timely a manner as possible.