During the first three seasons, Urbinary interviewed professors, researchers and early-career academics on topics including environmental justice, mega-events, migration, refugee camps, urban regeneration and planning theory. During Season 2024-2025, the project underwent restructuring, establishing working groups (coordination, creative communication, post-production) and launching thematic cycles. From 2025 onwards, Urbinary adopts a hybrid editorial model, structured around three main episode typologies:

Long-form standalone episodes

Long-form episodes, typically lasting 30-45 minutes, focus on in-depth explorations of contemporary urban life. Each episode addresses a specific topic, examining the relationships between spatial phenomena and practices, the environment, society, and culture, across different urban contexts. The format combines interdisciplinary perspectives with a balance of theoretical reflection and grounded observation. Designed as a standalone inquiry, each episode develops from a clearly defined issue toward a broader analytical perspective, highlighting the structures and processes that shape urban environments. By situating case studies and individual experiences within wider historical and systemic contexts, the format aims to go beyond descriptive accounts and offer a clearer understanding of urban dynamics. The aim is to create a consistent and accessible space for thoughtful, critical engagement with the complexities of contemporary urban studies.

Urban10

Urban10 is an innovative podcast format built around short, investigative episodes lasting 15–20 minutes. Each episode explores a relevant current affairs topic, extending beyond the Italian context to include international perspectives and global developments. Conceived as a true journalistic reportage, Urban10 combines in-depth research, interviews with key figures such as experts and witnesses, and a clear, engaging narrative structure. The format is designed to move from a specific angle on a story to a broader analytical framework, highlighting the deeper causes and wider implications behind each issue. By connecting individual news events to more complex global dynamics, Urban10 offers concise yet rigorous analysis, creating a consistent and recognizable space for thoughtful current affairs reporting.

Special episodes

Special episodes are dedicated to sharing research beyond the podcast’s core format. They focus on conferences, seminars, and collaborations with researchers external to Urbinary. So far, Urbinary has released a series of episodes based on contributions from the 18th AESOP Young Academics Conference 2024, presenting selected topics and discussions from the event. Upcoming releases will feature insights from the XXVII SIU Conference 2025, along with two research projects developed by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellows. Stay tuned for new episodes and collaborations.

Season 2024-2025

Cycle 1 – Finding our Place

Cycle 1 emerges from the pressing need of a group of early-career researchers to carve out a space within the academic world. It stems from our desire to find our voice and share our unique perspective on urban studies. This cycle reflects our journey to position ourselves within the vast and complex field of urban studies, while bringing fresh perspectives and opening up new discussions. Each episode of this cycle explores one of four distinct themes, all aimed at questioning and challenging the rigidity of the discipline. Through these conversations, we seek to redefine boundaries, broaden the dialogue, and ultimately find our place in the evolving landscape of urban studies.


Cycle 2 – Territorial Elsewheres

Cycle 2 of Urbinary explores the spaces that lie beyond the city’s map — fields of intensive agriculture, mountain valleys reshaped by hydroelectric infrastructures, and alpine villages transformed by mass tourism and mega-events. These are territories indispensable yet often rendered expendable, peripheral only in appearance. Through three episodes, we narrate the processes that reproduce the “non-city,” tracing stories of extraction, circulation, and resistance. By combining research insights with personal perspectives, Urbinary seeks new narratives to understand how the urban depends on — and transforms — what it excludes.