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Roberta Cucca

Roberta Cucca

Professor

  • Department of Urban and Regional Planning

I am a Professor at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, where I teach Urban Sociology. Previously, I was a Marie Curie Fellow at the University of Vienna, a Senior Researcher at Politecnico di Milano, and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto.

My research focuses on socio-spatial inequalities in European cities and on urban development and governance for just transitions. I am particularly interested in how housing policies, urban densification, and new forms of urban development shape social inequality, segregation, and gentrification, as well as how climate and environmental policies can contribute to or mitigate these inequalities. A central theme of my research is the relationship between housing inequality and the green transition, including green gentrification, socially just urban development, and climate adaptation.

I am currently involved in the EU Horizon project ReHousIn, which examines housing inequalities in the context of the green transition. I have also contributed as an expert to UN work on sustainable and affordable housing and as a consultant for the Council of Europe on social and spatial segregation and inclusive urban development. I serve on the board of RC21 (Urban and Regional Development) of the International Sociological Association.

  • Areas of Work

    • Urban studies
    • Socio-spatial inequalities
    • Urban social policies

  • Publications

    Academic profile and publications

    Selection

    2026-Cavicchia R., Cucca R., Røe P. G., Xue J. “From densification to high-rise development. Unpacking sustainability trade-offs and contradictions in Oslo”, Transactions of AESOP- the Association of European Schools of Planning, in press

    2026-Cucca R., Politics of Gentrification in "Oxford Explains: Urban and Local Politics", Oxford University Press - forthcoming

    2026-Cucca R., Environmental Justice in "Oxford Explains: Urban and Local Politics", Oxford University Press - forthcoming

    2026- De Jesus, K. W., & Cucca, R., The green city under scrutiny: a scalar and decolonial scoping review on the green city critique. Local Environment, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2026.2644487

    2025 - Cavicchia, R.; Cucca, R., Desegregating through densification? Potential and limitations in the case of Oslo, in “Urban Studies”, 
    https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980251372728

    2025 - Cucca, R.; Mouratidis, K., School segregation, residential patterns, and the role of school choice in an egalitarian system. The case of Oslo, Norway, in “Urban Research & Practice”, pp. 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/17535069.2025.2479619

    2024 - Kazepov, Y.; Ahn, B.; Cucca, R., The ‘European City’ at the Crossroads: Four Analytical Elements for Understanding Convergence and Differentiation, in “Tijdschrift voor economische en sociale geografie”. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/tesg.12605

    2023 - Di Marino, M.; Cucca, R.; Thaler, T.; Bügelmayer-Blaschek, M., Interlinking the silos: how to stimulate a new debate on more greenery in cities, in “Urban Forestry & Urban Greening”, 128065, ISSN 1618-8667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2023.128065

    2023 - Cucca, R.; Kazepov, Y.; Villa, M., Towards a Sustainable Welfare System? The Challenges and Scenarios of Eco-social Transitions, in “Politiche Sociali / Social Policies”, 1/2023, pp. 3–26. https://doi.org/10.7389/107136

    2023 - Cucca, R.; Friesenecker, M.; Thaler, T., Green Gentrification, Social Justice and Climate Change in the Literature: Conceptual Origins and Future Directions, in “Urban Planning”, Vol. 8, Issue 1. https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v8i1.6129

    2022 - Kazepov, Y.; Barberis, E.; Cucca, R.; Mocca, E. (Eds), Handbook of Urban Social Policies. International Perspectives on Multilevel Governance and Local Welfare, Edward Elgar Publishing.

    2022 - Friesenecker, M.; Cucca, R., Potential and limitations of innovative housing solutions in planning for degrowth: the case of Vienna, in “Local Environment”. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2021.1872513

    2017 - Cucca, R.; Ranci, C. (Eds), Unequal Cities. The challenge of post-industrial transition in times of austerity, Routledge – Taylor & Francis Group. (Nominated for Best Book Prize, Regional Studies Association 2020)

    2016 - Bricocoli, M.; Cucca, R., Social mix and housing policy: local effects of a misleading rhetoric. The case of Milan, in “Urban Studies”, Vol. 53, No. 1, pp. 77–91.

    My publications

  • Teaching

    Urban Sociology (APL280)

    Urban sosiologi | NMBU

  • Research and projects