In-Between Spaces and Urban Governance: ‘School Thresholds’ in Madrid

Lucila Urda Peña; Serafina Amoroso

doi:10.4995/vlc.2026.24845

In-Between Spaces and Urban Governance: ‘School Thresholds’ in Madrid

Lucila Urda Peña

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7775-0422

Spain

Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

Lucila Urda Peña, PhD, architect from UPM (ETSAM) and coordinator of the urbanism area of the Bachelor's Degree in Fundamentals of Architecture at the URJC in Madrid Sur, is a prominent member of the PENT(H)A Research Group and collaborates with NUTAC and ABIO.

With a profound expertise in urban regeneration, public space, social housing, and educational environments, Dr. Urda Peña has developed numerous consulting projects aimed at improving cities, renaturalizing public urban spaces, and enhancing educational surroundings. Her work has been recognized with numerous national and international awards. As an expert in urban art, she views it as a driving force for contemporary sociocultural activation, particularly through projects, publications, exhibitions, and research conducted in the city of Madrid. Her publications and research focus on humanizing cities, integrating participation and co-creation processes in urban transformations. Dr. Urda Peña has led local research projects and is actively involved in national and European research initiatives.

Serafina Amoroso

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6775-2069

Spain

Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

Graduate Architect (Università degli Studi di Firenze, 2001) with a degree recognized in Spain in 2018; PhD (Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, 2006) with a degree recognized in Spain in 2014; Master in Advanced Architectural Projects (ETSAM, 2012); Master in Applied Research in Feminist, Gender and Citizenship Studies (Jaume I University, 2016). From 2007 to April 2019, she worked as an Associate Professor of Projects at the School of Architecture of the University of Florence, carrying out in parallel, between 2014 and 2017, this position and that of teacher of Plastic Arts, Drawing and Art History in a secondary school. Her teaching career has always been characterized by a commitment to quality and innovative teaching, focused on the challenges of the EHEA and teaching innovation, as demonstrated by her selection in 2014 to undertake a stay at the AA (Architectural Association School of Architecture) as part of the Visiting Teachers' Programme, and her participation in 2017 in the ERASMUS+ STAFF MOBILITY FOR TEACHING programme. Since November 2020, she has been a member of the Doctoral Programme in Architectural Communication (DOCA-ETSAM) as an external expert and doctoral thesis supervisor. Since September 2022, she has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Architectural Projects at the EIF (Fuenlabrada School of Engineering) of the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid. Since the beginning of her career, she has combined her professional practice - which began in 2001 in Florence in the studio of Alberto Breschi (former member of the radical group Zzigurat), with whom she has shared many professional experiences, both as a collaborator and as a partner - with academic activity (both teaching and research). The (original, systematic, and coherent) results of her research activity - achieved working within the framework of "official" research teams and as an independent researcher. Have been published in peer-reviewed journals (including Bracket, CLOG, Dichtomy, HORIZONTE, MONU Magazine, VAD. Revista científica de arquitectura, ÁBACO, Asparkía. Investigació feminista), in conference proceedings and in book chapters. Likewise, her supervision of PFC, TFM and, more recently, doctoral theses, as well as her participation (as a speaker, scientific committee and/or organizer) in conferences and workshops, or as a designer (alone or in a team) in national and international design competitions (whose results have often been awarded, published and exhibited), have constantly offered her opportunities and pretexts for reflection and allowed her to advance her research. Her main lines of research have been refined over the years, recently focusing on gender approaches and their relationships with space (urban and architectural) and pedagogical practices.

Submitted: 2025-10-21

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Accepted: 2026-03-14

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Published: 2026-04-30

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4995/vlc.2026.24845

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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Transformed school environment. EI Osa Menor. Chamberí District.

Keywords:

School thresholds, governance, participation, community, social inequality

Supporting agencies:

This research was not funded

Abstract:

The article proposes the concept of the ‘school threshold’ as an urban space for social, cultural, and
educational exchange, connecting schools with their surrounding communities. It argues that these spaces can
humanize and make cities more welcoming, by transforming neighbourhoods through their adaptation. The
study analyses three cases in Madrid in detail, focusing on both physical changes and the processes involved,
with governance identified as a key factor. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through statistics,
maps, plans, photographs, and interviews with stakeholders. The comparison of cases highlights diverse
social and physical contexts, and the evaluation delves into participant interactions from project conception to
implementation. The findings underscore the importance of school thresholds as strategic spaces for inclusive
and intersectional urban policies, particularly in vulnerable areas.

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