Bridging methods and disciplines: an architectural pedagogy for rural areas community

Architectural pedagogy in rural areas necessitates a thoughtful consideration of bothmethodologicalanddisciplinaryapproacheswithintheeducational process. Is it enough to define the way ofteaching Architecture as a method or as a discipline? In aconstantlychangingworld,facingmultiplefragileconditions(e.g., environmental crisis, social disparities, demographic changes), the way of teaching, and learning, architecture shall consider over-coming this narrow boundary. Aneffectivebalancebetweenmethodanddisciplineisneeded,wherearchitectural pedagogy should be responsive to the variations of fragile territories and communities. This capability enables students and rural communities involved to develop moresensitivity to context, recognizing which design solutions are best tailored to their realities. Inner areas, for instance, which suffer from constant depopulation and lack of connection, though rich in historical/natural heritage, are entangled in a complex multiplicity of design scenarios. Especially in Italy, whose territory is 60% made of inner areas [1], this condition should be approached by universities for the architects of the future. Moreover, architectural pedagogy in rural areas should carefully consider the interplay between method and discipline as a participatory; a community-oriented method allows the co-creation of contextually relevant solutions within the educational process of teaching architecture. The contribution proposes a view on this challenge, in which architectural education has a profound role in shaping a desirable future, starting from the ongoing experiences developed in some inner areas case studies, such as the one of Vione (Valle Camonica, Lombardy) and of Morino (Valle Roveto, Abruzzo).