Designing with Empathy: From Smart to Sensitive Cities

The future of cities has long been defined by intelligence: networks of sensors, data, and engineered systems. From traffic-flow algorithms to climate dashboards, the smart city promised to make urban life optimized, measurable, and predictable. Yet amid this technological abundance, something essential feels absent: sensitivity. Cities are becoming increasingly equipped to process information but less able to perceive atmosphere, emotion, or care.

The new Xi'an International Football Centre has hosted its inaugural international matches with China's National U-23 team facing teams from Australia, Timor-Leste and Northern Mariana Islands in the Group D qualifying matches of the 2026 Asian Cup finals that will be held in Saudi Arabia. Xi'an International Football Centre's 60,000-seat stadium and training grounds are integral to the ongoing development of football in China. Initiated by the Chinese Football Association and China's national sports development organisations, the new football centre provides facilities of the highest standards to nurture the sport across all levels—from international competition to grassroots community leagues and youth training academies; enabling all generations to gather, play and celebrate football's unifying spirit.

The site lies in a semi-rural neighborhood where land has been reorganized into a patchwork of houses and rice fields. The client, an avid gardener, envisioned a home where they could enjoy planting greenery, requesting a calm and tranquil atmosphere.

Can academic projects explore new directions and contribute to public discourse on global and local issues? The 2025 Politecnico di Torino Architecture Students Award aimed to address these questions, showcasing how architectural research, training, and experimentation can be integrated into a school curriculum.