Dense Cities Compact Schools. Active Learning Spaces and School Democratization

Contemporary pedagogy advocates spatial alternatives that promote active and experiential learning, centred on the student, taking shape in extremely compact school buildings with multifunctional spaces that play a significant role in both the urban fabric and the community. The Dense Cities Compact Schools research project critically examines the rethinking of architecture for education in Europe’s most densely populated cities. Funded through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), the study explores how contemporary architectural experiments respond to the renewed relationship between pedagogical models and spatial structures. Designing compact schools with extensive spatial programs, often on limited land or by upgrading existing buildings, presents both challenges and opportunities to design adaptable environments whose use change according to the users. This approach reflects a renewed democratic vision of the school, requiring a redefinition of the links between learning spaces and urban forms, ultimately aiming to integrate schools more deeply into the city’s fabric.