100
O. E. Bellini et al.
1 New Perspectives for Student Housing 1
The role of student housing in academic formative paths is rapidly changing and
increasing in importance, with a view of the broadening of learning and educational
processes, triggering new forms of socialization, developing sharing habits, fostering emancipation from families (Micheli 2008; Rosina et al. 2007; Agnoli 2010)
increasing the sense of responsibility, promoting exchange and dialogue among students coming from different cultures and traditions, also from the standpoint of their
involvement in public life (Livi Bacci 2008; Abidin et al. 2011; Costa 2014; Naji
et al. 2014; Eikemo and Judith Thomsen 2018).
In encouraging a new way of living, based on the acceptance of rules, timetables
and deadlines, student housing contributes to developing the moral and civic quality
of individuals, enhancing their social disposition and fostering an idea of “education
as life” (Simmel 1995) in which interpersonal relationships and relational context
become key elements to increase the individual’s faculties and skills in an economic,
cultural, and social perspective. Not surprisingly, the ability to meet the student
housing demand is affirming itself as an increasingly relevant factor in the definition
of international rankings and in the evaluation of the quality of universities (Downing
et al. 2017).
This raises the question of the effectiveness of the policies implemented in our
country over the last decades, aiming at increasing the overall number of students’
matriculations, without specific reflections on structures and strategies to raise a
higher level of social and collective education. This situation needs to find a solution
quickly, fostering new consideration for student housing, both from a morpho-technotypological perspective (Bellini 2015, 2019a, b; Newman 2016) and from a social
one. The new users of residencies, their crescent variety in terms of age, nationality,
academic role, education raise the necessity to adapt the functional and organizational
offer of these structures to the new social and cultural scenario (McBride 2017)
(Fig. 1).
Far from being considered as mere structures dedicated to temporary accommodation for foreign students, student housing should be regarded as a public service: a
fundamental element to support academic, didactic, and research activities as well as
to provide facilities and services for the collective cultural and recreational growth
of population, generating new human and social capital (Ciaramella and Del Gatto
2012; Laudisa 2013; Bellini et al. 2015; Bosio et al. 2018; Eversley 2019).
1 The present paper illustrates activities and studies made possible by the collaboration
between the ABC Department and the ATE—Area Tecnico Edilizia—of the Politecnico di Milano.
O. E. Bellini et al.
1 New Perspectives for Student Housing 1
The role of student housing in academic formative paths is rapidly changing and
increasing in importance, with a view of the broadening of learning and educational
processes, triggering new forms of socialization, developing sharing habits, fostering emancipation from families (Micheli 2008; Rosina et al. 2007; Agnoli 2010)
increasing the sense of responsibility, promoting exchange and dialogue among students coming from different cultures and traditions, also from the standpoint of their
involvement in public life (Livi Bacci 2008; Abidin et al. 2011; Costa 2014; Naji
et al. 2014; Eikemo and Judith Thomsen 2018).
In encouraging a new way of living, based on the acceptance of rules, timetables
and deadlines, student housing contributes to developing the moral and civic quality
of individuals, enhancing their social disposition and fostering an idea of “education
as life” (Simmel 1995) in which interpersonal relationships and relational context
become key elements to increase the individual’s faculties and skills in an economic,
cultural, and social perspective. Not surprisingly, the ability to meet the student
housing demand is affirming itself as an increasingly relevant factor in the definition
of international rankings and in the evaluation of the quality of universities (Downing
et al. 2017).
This raises the question of the effectiveness of the policies implemented in our
country over the last decades, aiming at increasing the overall number of students’
matriculations, without specific reflections on structures and strategies to raise a
higher level of social and collective education. This situation needs to find a solution
quickly, fostering new consideration for student housing, both from a morpho-technotypological perspective (Bellini 2015, 2019a, b; Newman 2016) and from a social
one. The new users of residencies, their crescent variety in terms of age, nationality,
academic role, education raise the necessity to adapt the functional and organizational
offer of these structures to the new social and cultural scenario (McBride 2017)
(Fig. 1).
Far from being considered as mere structures dedicated to temporary accommodation for foreign students, student housing should be regarded as a public service: a
fundamental element to support academic, didactic, and research activities as well as
to provide facilities and services for the collective cultural and recreational growth
of population, generating new human and social capital (Ciaramella and Del Gatto
2012; Laudisa 2013; Bellini et al. 2015; Bosio et al. 2018; Eversley 2019).
1 The present paper illustrates activities and studies made possible by the collaboration
between the ABC Department and the ATE—Area Tecnico Edilizia—of the Politecnico di Milano.