From September 3–5, 2025, in Turin, as part of the XXXIV Congresso Geografico Italiano – Era urbana e disordine del mondo. Geografie per interpretare il presente, during Session 81 – Un Think-tank net per mettere a sistema idee, visioni, azioni sul tema della rigenerazione dei territori. Verso la costruzione di una piattaforma interdisciplinare, Teresa Graziano, Federica Consentino and Emanuela Giuffrida (University of Catania) presented on “Exploring environmental fragility in an inner area: perceptions, practices, and policies in the Simeto Valley.”

The presentation addressed community perceptions of environmental fragility, participatory research methods (focus groups, questionnaires, school projects), and the integration of place-based approaches into policies such as SNAI and NRRPs. It also reflected on territorial inequalities, governance challenges, and implications for the upcoming 2028–2034 cohesion policy framework.

As part of the PULP project (Place-based Unfolding, Localities and Participation in NRRPs), we are organizing the special session S46 Innovative Data Approaches to Regional Disparities and Inequality Perceptions in Left-Behind Places at the ERSA 64th Congress: Regional Science in Turbulent Times: In Search of a Resilient, Sustainable and Inclusive Future. The session will take place on August 26–29, 2025, in Athens, Greece, and will be led by Giulia Urso, Paolo Bottero, and Christian Joel González (Gran Sasso Science Institute, Italy). It will explore innovative methodologies for understanding and addressing spatial disparities and inequality perceptions in marginalized regions.

On July 18, 2025, at the GAL Rocca di Cerere in Enna, Teresa Graziano (University of Catania) presented on “Place-based approaches, territorial inequalities, and participation in National Recovery and Resilience Plans.”

The presentation addressed spatial inequalities, place-based policies, and upcoming challenges for European cohesion policy.

At the RSA Annual Conference 2025, held from May 6–9, 2025, in Porto, Portugal, we will present the paper "Objective Multi-Dimensional Inequalities and Their Perception: Exploring the Geography of Their Mismatch and Drivers". Building on the working paper "Regional Inequalities in a Time of Pandemic: Perceptions and Objective Dimensions", this presentation examines inequalities across 278 NUTS-3 regions in France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, focusing on rural-urban divides and the interaction between objective disparities and perceived inequality.

The team presented a scientific poster titled "Crisi Pandemica e Disuguaglianze Territoriali: Economia della Complessità, Grado di Urbanizzazione e Resilienza a Livello Locale" at the ISTAT 15th National Conference of Statistics. The poster showcased our findings on the Economic Complexity Index (ECI) and spatial inequalities in Italy, and more specifically the impacts of urbanization levels and local resilience in the post-pandemic era.

As part of the project’s core research, the team presented a cross-country analysis of European National Resilience and Recovery Plans (NRRPs). The presentation explored the plans' place-sensitivity in addressing spatial inequalities post-COVID-19, focusing on territorial dimensions, governance, and public participation in France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.

The University of Catania’s Di3A hosted "La Giornata Nazionale del Paesaggio: norme, progetti, visioni", focusing on legal frameworks for restoring degraded landscapes and showcasing student projects on landscape recovery and enhancement. Experts and faculty led discussions, fostering knowledge exchange and practical learning in territorial planning and preservation.

The selection procedures for adding new members to our project team were opened through official calls from the participating universities.

Here you can find the links to the published calls:

• https://amm.units.it/concorsi/ricerca/conc-49934

• https://gssi.patisweb.it/copiastatica/gssi/GSSI/amministrazionetrasparente.gssi.it/indexgssi/bandi-di-concorso/personale-docente-e-ricercatori/item/453-bando-di-assegni-di-ricerca-d-r-164-2023.html

The PULP project was officially launched, bringing together the research team to outline objectives, methodologies, and timelines. This initial meeting established the foundation for interdisciplinary collaboration and set a clear path forward for each work package.