Gerardo Semprebon short bio
I am an architect, PhD at theShanghai Jiao Tong University(China) and the Politecnico di Milano. Currently, I am anAssistant Professorin Architectural and Urban Design at theDepartment of Architecture and Urban Studies(DAStU) of the Politecnico di Milano and tutor (assistant coordinator) in theAUID Architecture Urban and Interior Design PhD Programof the DAStU. I am participating in the PRIN: Research Project of National Interest titled "Governance for a Reticular Mountain: Co-design and "contratto d'abitare" as tools for the territorial regeneration in Seriana Valley" (local coordinator: Prof. M. Bovati). I am also an associate editor for theJournal of Chinese Architecture and Urbanism, for which I am curating the special issue "Reshaping Rural China," a member of thescientific board of the Officinajournal, and a reviewer for several journals.
Over the last years, I have worked as a Research Fellow at the DAStU, PoliMi, taught as an Adjunct Professor at the School of Architecture Urban Planning Construction Engineering (AUIC) of the same University, and tutored as supervisor and co-supervisor for several graduation theses. Between 2020 and 2023, I participated in the European project ERASMUS+ KA2 Action titled "Activation of Contemporary Public Spaces" (local coordinator: Prof. L.M.F. Fabris). In 2019, I was a visiting scholar at the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture (BUCEA).
The core topics of my research cover rural-urban transitions in complex settlement systems, rural development in alpine regions, and architectural responses to public space vitality: activities upon which I published and organized design workshops. My doctoral research focused on the design problems emerging from the dramatic changes in Chinese ruralities. During the PhD programs (Politecnico di Milano and Shanghai Jiao Tong University - SJTU), I elaborateddesign and programming proposalsto support government-led development programs under the aegis of the core national policies, such as the "Rural Revitalization Strategic Plan 2018-2022". My first book, "Rural Futures. Toward an Urban(ized) Peasantry in the Chinese Countryside," was published in 2022 by LetteraVentidue, and another is in progress with Springer.
