Unlocking Space: Infill Densification Strategies for Student and Youth Housing Development.

The central focus of this thesis is the exploration of possibilities to increase the supply of student and youth accommodation in the city of Turin through infill densification strategies, characterized by development within vacant or underutilized spaces and properties in existing urban landscapes. In this way, housing for students and emerging adults serves as a catalyst for urban regeneration, offering essential services that benefit students and local residents while also addressing the issue of urban voids within the existing built environment. Infill densification approach helps prevent urban sprawl, reconnect the fragmented urban fabric and produce more housing and services for the citizens through targeted localized interventions that together create a significant transformation in the overall urban environment. This work investigates legal aspects of urban infill developments, their compliance with urban regulations and its financial feasibility in both global practices and specifically in the context of Turin. To achieve this, the state of the art is analysed and relevant case studies are presented in this thesis to extract applicable methodologies and design approaches. Subsequently, this research analyses potential obstacles to such developments in the context of Turin and offers regulatory adjustments and incentives for developments targeting student and youth housing infill developments. It also defines conditions of eligibility for accessing these opportunities. The thesis concludes with a design proposal that demonstrates the potential for infill development in Turin. The project focuses on the redevelopment of the former industrial sites along Lungo Dora Firenze in the Aurora district, an area characterized by urban voids, underutilized density potential, and close proximity to university facilities. On this plot, various infill densification strategies will be implemented, and the methodology developed within the framework of the thesis will be tested.