Peripheries, Social Vulnerabilities, Communities: Interdisciplinary Approaches, Methods and Practices for a Sustainable Future

Dear Colleagues,

a. Focus: Social vulnerabilities are a central theme that can be inferred from the 17 Sustainable Development Goals—SDGs—by the United Nations (United Nations Development Program. (2015)). Environmental and human sustainability, well-being, and equality of access to resources are among the aspects taken into account more extensively in the goals, which aim at significantly improving the living conditions of the world population, demonstrating how sustainable development cannot be achieved without a significant transformation of the way we build and manage our urban and rural spaces, our environment, our sense of community, our health.

b. Scope: This call aims to raise the question of social vulnerabilities as a central issue in the perspective of a sustainable approach to progress. Talking about vulnerability means talking about segregation, social and symbolic peripheries (OECD, 2018; Wilson, 1987; Alberio & Benassi, 2013; Marcuse, 1997), the sense of belonging that defines the community, the values of care the community has for itself (Park, 1967; Chavis & Wandersman, 2002; Farahani, 2016). This requires a rethinking of the concept of society’s well-being, as defined by the WHO (WHO, 2008). It means considering also the economic organization of the society, the spatial organization of the social groups, the material and intangible distribution of resources, the culture of lifestyles, of the communication and prevention, the methods of interpersonal relationships, the conditions of social mobility, education, access to services and land management as parameters for evaluating social sustainability. In essence, talking about social and peripheral vulnerabilities implies a redefinition of the term community as a principle from which to restart building more cohesive societies designed for ethical behavioral practices.

c. Purpose: Understanding and resolving such a complex problem requires an interdisciplinary dialogue. This call for papers is therefore urging for a comparison between different areas of study such as those on vulnerabilities, peripheries, segregation, communities and the related research methods, in order to contribute to answering the requests from international organizations to rethink the practices of building a sense of community and reduction of social vulnerabilities and to make room for sustainability as a founding value for present and future societies.

Mahmoudi Farahani, L. (2016). The value of the sense of community and neighbouring. Housing, theory and society, 33(3), 357-376.

United Nations Development Program. (2015). Sustainable Development Goals. [online]. United Nations. Retrieved from https://www.undp. org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals.html.

Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Closing the gap in a generation. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2008.

Park, R. E. (1967). The city: Suggestions for the investigation of human behavior in the urban environment. In R. E. Park, E. W. Burgess, & R. D. McKenzie (Eds.), The city (pp. 1-46). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (Original work published 1925)

Chavis, D. M., & Wandersman, A. (2002). Sense of community in the urban environment: A catalyst for participation and community development. In A quarter century of community psychology (pp. 265-292). Springer, Boston, MA.

OECD (2018). Divided cities: Understanding intra-urban inequalities. OECD

Marcuse P. (1997). The Enclave, the Citadel, and the Ghetto: What has Changed in the Post-Fordist U.S. City. Urban Affairs Review 33(2): 228:264.

Alberio M., Benassi D. (2013). Povertà urbana. In: Vicari Haddock S., a cura di, Questioni urbane. Caratteri e problemi della città contemporanea. Bologna: Il Mulino.

Wilson 1987 = William Julius Wilson, Th e truly disadvantaged: Th e inner city, the underclass, and public policy, Chicago, University of Chicago, 1987.

Dr. Francesca Romana Lenzi
Dr. Maria Palazzo
Dr. Gabriella Punziano
Dr. Felice Addeo
Guest Editors

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• social vulnerabilities
• communities
• methods
• social peripheries
• interdisciplinary approach