Ferruccio Trabalzi Assistant Professor, Community and Regional Planning
Education I have received my bachelor in Urban Sociology at University of Rome, La Sapienza. I continued my graduate eduation in California where I received my Master's and Doctorate in Urban Planning at the University of California, Los Angeles. Since 2005 I am assistant professor at the department of Community and Regional Planning at Iowa State University.
Research Interests My research interest focus on two areas: urban form and design, and community social systems. This agenda is a continuation of my long-term interest in planning and territorial development which I have pursued since my years as an undergraduate in Rome.
URBAN FORM AND DESIGN. My research on urban form and design addresses two broad concerns. The first regards the physical form and design of communities. I explore ways to make the practice of design and planning more inclusive, particularly of the ways in which people conceive, organize and live space.The second area focuses on the urban margin as a specifc expression and manifestation of contemporary urbanism. Following an established path in urban planning and cultural studies, I conceptualize the margin as a place of possibilities and not simply of despair. My research in this area builds on the traditions of advocacy planning, and social mobilization.COMMUNITY SOCIAL SYSTEMS. This area of research explores the capacities of community social systems to generate sustainable, long-term, and equitable development. I address this rather broad area of research from the specific point of view locally-based food systems which I intend as social, technological, and institutional networks firmly grounded in regional identities and practices. In my research I advocate for a model of integrated development where local food systems are part of a larger territorial strategy that includes cultural identities, natural landscapes, the built environment, and tourism.
Current Projects Currently I am studying the evolution of two rural communities in Italy and Iowa. I am focusing on their developmental paths to understand what is about place and culture that make or make not them sustainable in the long-term.
I have recently concluded a research on the food crisis among working poor in Sioux City, Iowa. I have explored the problematics of food production and distribution in this large metropolitan area and compared it with the contemporary rhetoric of local food system in the state. The objective of the research is to indicate ways in which design and policy can achieve the objective of feeding the needy and fostering a sustainable and viable local food system.Prior to this research I have addressed the issue of social inclusion and identity by exploring practices of space appropriation among low-income residents in the periphery of Rome, among transient population in Des Moines, Iowa, and among Latino Immigrants in Perry, Iowa. The objective of this research is to learn from culturally based modes of inhabiting space how to create alternative policies and design practices that lead to inclusion, identity, and justice.
Contact Information
Phone: (515) 294-8393
Email: trabalzi@iastate.edu
Office: 376 Design
Mailing Address
Community and Regional Planning Department 146 College of Design Ames, IA, 50011
