University campuses drive urban regeneration: SUR Lab research featured by Il Sole 24 Ore
Research conducted by the SUR Lab at Bocconi University within the framework of the MUSA – Multilayered Urban Sustainability Action project has been featured in Il Sole 24 Ore and Radiocor in an article exploring the contribution of university campuses to urban regeneration.
The study investigates how university campuses generate environmental, social and economic value for both academic communities and surrounding neighbourhoods. Focusing on Milan, Italy’s second-largest university hub, SUR Lab researchers collected approximately 4,000 interviews across five major campuses: Bocconi University, Politecnico di Milano (Leonardo Campus), Bicocca University, and the two main campuses of the University of Milan, including the MIND innovation district.
The research examined how students, faculty members and residents perceive the impacts generated by university-led urban transformation. Findings show that campuses are increasingly recognised as catalysts for urban regeneration, improving the quality of public spaces and contributing to broader sustainability objectives.
“Universities are emerging as engines of innovation and urban regeneration, capable of generating social value,” explained Professor Edoardo Croci, SUR Lab Director. “Our research demonstrates that campuses produce tangible, measurable and widely perceived impacts across environmental, social and economic dimensions.”
The analysis identified five main areas of impact. These include recreational and sports opportunities, improvements in the aesthetic quality of neighbourhoods, mitigation of urban heat and flood risks through green infrastructure, support for the energy transition, promotion of sustainable mobility, and enhancements in urban comfort and well-being.
Among all the benefits investigated, two dimensions stand out as particularly important: safety and green spaces. Both members of the university community and residents highly value the improved lighting, increased sense of security and enhanced environmental quality associated with campus developments. Green areas are especially appreciated for their aesthetic value and their contribution to mitigating rising temperatures linked to climate change. Pedestrian spaces also received positive evaluations, while energy-related benefits, although significant, were generally less visible to respondents.
The research further assessed citizens’ willingness to pay for maintaining the benefits generated by campus-led regeneration projects, providing an economic measure of the value attributed to these improvements. Results confirm a strong appreciation of the positive effects associated with university investments in public spaces, sustainability and neighbourhood quality.
According to Croci, understanding and measuring these impacts is essential for informing future urban policies. “The value generated by campuses is reflected in people’s perception of improvements in the quality of spaces, safety, well-being and urban resilience. Analysing these effects allows universities to be recognised as structural actors in urban development and provides policymakers with evidence to guide future interventions and strategies.”
The study contributes to the objectives of the MUSA project by providing evidence on the role universities can play in supporting sustainable, inclusive and resilient urban development, demonstrating how higher education institutions increasingly act as key stakeholders in the transformation of contemporary cities.