Urban densities and diffuse urbanities

What does the term urban mean nowadays? Although it is an established fact that the urbanization is still commonly conceived in terms of concentration, today’s urban spatiality is increasingly disaggregated and challenging. As a consequence, a blurring conventional geography fleshes out new visions of an heterogeneous “urban mosaic”, characterized by a surprising diversification of spatial practices. This urban mosaic is always subject to new definitions highlighting its multiple scales and polymorphic configuration both at the global and at the metropolitan scale. The re-evaluation and the enhancement of partial and conflicting identities, coexisting in the whole urban reality, constitute the main turning point compared to the past. In line with the Lefebvre’s theoretical elaborations, the essay will question the established conceptions of the urban as a closed socio-spatial condition. Hence, the necessity of redefining the real urbanity concept. In order to anticipate some conclusions, the paper will define the urban as a complex system of different urbanities. Accordingly, several speculative tools and strategies within the design process have to be re-thought, including the much debated density issue.