Francesco Chiodelli

Francesco Chiodelli is an Associate Professor at the Polytechnic University of Turin's Interuniversity Department of Territorial Sciences, Planning and Policies (DIST), and a key member of the Future Urban Legacy Lab (FULL) research center. His work bridges urban space and institutional governance, with current projects focused on Mediterranean housing informality, urban corruption, and the spatial dynamics of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Research interests center on:

• Urban Illegality: Corruption in planning systems and criminal infiltration in urban governance
• Housing Informality: Unauthorized settlements in Southern Europe
• Conflict Geography: Spatial dimensions of religious/political tensions in Jerusalem
• Pluralism: Regulation of religious spaces (e.g., mosques in Italy)

His scholarly output (10+ recent articles) exhibits strong thematic coherence, with 60% focused on illegality/informality, 20% on religious pluralism, and 20% on planning theory. Methodologically, he combines policy analysis with spatial justice frameworks across Mediterranean contexts.

Currently advises four PhD students researching:

• Retail diversity in immigrant neighborhoods (Battaglini)
• Urban informality governance (Beltramo)
• Political solidarity mechanisms (Grelle)
• Religious landscapes in cities (Massenz)