UMass Boston

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Antonio Raciti

Department:
Urban Planning & Community Development
Title:
Department Chair

Area of Expertise

Ecological restoration, Community planning, Community design, Planning theory, Historic preservation, Action research, Engaged scholarship

Degrees

Master in Architectural Engineering and Urban Design, University of Catania, (Catania, Italy).

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Planning, University of Catania (Catania, Italy).

Professional Publications & Contributions

Additional Information

Dr. Raciti is an Assistant Professor of Community Planning and Ecological Design in the newly established Department of Urban Planning and Community Development (UPCD) in the School for the Environment (SFE) at UMass Boston. His research focus is on the theory and the practice of ecological approaches to planning and design. By using an engaged approach to research, Dr. Raciti’s research agenda explores questions designed in collaboration with community groups to enhance our current understanding of social-ecological systems and develop approaches capable of improving the relationship between humans, other living communities, and their living environments. He has led and co-led numerous interdisciplinary action research projects in distressed urban and rural communities in Italy and the United States. He is currently carrying out research projects in Boston, Chelsea, and Gloucester (Massachusetts) and various municipalities in Eastern Sicily (Italy).

Dr. Raciti is the co-director of the Community Planning and Ecological Design (CoPED) Summer School, designed to bring US-based students from the environmental and social science disciplines to work with Italian students and colleagues in the Simeto River Valley of Sicily on the implementation of the cutting-edge Simeto River Agreement, a strategic plan for local development. In the UPCD Master Program, Dr. Raciti teaches courses in urban and regional design, environmental planning, and he is the primary instructor for urban planning studios, which are always designed in partnership with community-based organizations and institutions to co-generate knowledge and projects to improve local communities’ well-being.