Reconnecting Human Body and Urban Space: Reading Tools and Design Practices

From the last two centuries, cities have inherited numerous "detached" spaces, unable to establish an active connection with the human body that inhabit them. The emerging field of Urban Ergonomics has been the chance to reflect on both tools and design approaches focused on a human-centred conception of architectural and urban space. This article draws on the outcomes of a three-year Politecnico di Torino-Tsinghua University Joint Research Project. It proposes an original way of conceiving designed space "through" the body and it aims to introduce operative tools as well as design solutions following the principles of an evolving, multi-scale, comprehensive ergonomic domain.