Dr Monia Del Pinto

In my current study, DAEDALHUSS (Designating All Encompassing Disaster-risk Assessment on the Layout of Historical Urban Streets and Squares), I am developing global methodology and universal parameters to assess vulnerability to climate-induced hazards associated with the spatial networks in heritage cities, for different categories of pedestrians. 

The work builds upon my doctoral research on Spatial Vulnerability where I isolated the disaster risk potential associated with the urban spatial networks in earthquake-prone settlements and developed a methodology and workflow for its assessment and visualization, integrating space syntax analysis and GIS modelling. The work provided theoretical and methodological advancement in urban morphology and disaster studies, and tools in support of urban disaster risk assessment in ordinary and emergency planning, and post-disaster reconstruction.

Current research activity

• DEADALHUSS Pilot Study, within the Loughborough University Doctoral Prize Fellowship

• Del Pinto, M. (2023) ‘From theory to practice: Insights from the pathway to implement DRM measures for cultural heritage sites’, in Jigyasu, R., Kim, D., Laka, S., Good Practices for Disaster Risk Management of Cultural Heritage, Routledge, 2023, pp. 119-128, DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003356479
• Del Pinto, M. (2023), From heritage preservation to heritage activation: unlocking action on historical urban form to tackle disaster risk (re)production, i-Rec international conference, June 1-4, 2023. IRIDeS, Tohoku University, Sendai (Japan) available at https://irides.tohoku.ac.jp/media/files/event/event/iRec2023/i-Rec2023_Abstracts.pdf pp.20-22
• Del Pinto, M, Palaiologou, G., Chmutina, K., Bosher, L., (2022), Urban morphology in support of disaster risk reduction: toward theory and methods for a spatial approach to  tackling urban vulnerability to earthquakes, in proceedings of XXVIII International Seminar on Urban Form ISUF2021: Urban Form and The Sustainable and Prosperous Cities, 29th June – 3rd July 2021,Glasgow, United Kingdom
• Forino, G., Bonati, S., Del Pinto, M., Tomassi, I., Velotti, L., (2022) The L’Aquila earthquake blame game: Punishing the vulnerable, pardoning the state, Radix, Radical Interpretation of Disasters, December 2022
• Del Pinto, M. (2022), Passato e futuro delle forme di Amatrice, Il Lavoro Culturale, January 2022
• Goodall, S., Khalid, Z., Del Pinto, M., (2021), Disaster conversations: intersecting perspectives on cross-cultural disaster research, in Disaster Prevention and Management, Early Career Researchers special issue, 2021
• Del Pinto, M., (2021), Urban form and disaster risk: the role of urban public open spaces in vulnerability of earthquake-prone settlements, Doctoral thesis, Loughborough University
• Forino, G., Bonati, S., Del Pinto, M., (2021) L’archistar al tempo della crisi, Il Lavoro Culturale, February 2021
• Del Pinto, M., (2020) I Punti Zero. Viaggio nel Centro Italia del post-terremoto, Il Lavoro Culturale, February 2020
• Del Pinto, M., (2020) Disaster risk management plan for heritage sites: a proposal for MuNDA, Museo Nazionale D’Abruzzo, L’Aquila, Italy, Proceedings of UNESCO Chair programme on Cultural Heritage and Disaster Risk Management, 9-30 September 2019, Kyoto, Japan
• Del Pinto, M., Chmutina, K., Bosher, L., Palaiologou, G. (2019) “Rebuilding streets or emergencies? Reflections on public open spaces and urban vulnerability to earthquakes” in 9th Information and Research for Reconstruction (i-Rec) 2019 conference, Gainesville, USA, 5-7 June 2019
• Drosou, N., Del Pinto, M., Al-Shuwaili, M., Goodall, S. and Marlow, E. (2019), "Overcoming fears: a pathway to publishing for early career researchers", Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, October 2019

Undergraduate

• Disaster Risk Management

I have a PhD in Urban Planning and Disaster Risk Reduction from Loughborough University, and an MSc in Architectural Engineering from Universita’ degli Studi di L’Aquila (Italy). I was trained in the UNESCO International Training Course on Disaster Risk Management for Cultural Heritage at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto (Japan). I am active in the area of Disaster Risk Management For Cultural Heritage, where I operate in synergy with a network of international and UK academic and non-academic partners. My communication and training activities for an integrated approach to heritage and DRR are aimed at built environment professionals, heritage professionals, and civil protection.

Since 2014 I have been teaching architecture-related disciplines within international and multicultural contexts between Italy, Turkey, and the UK. As a lecturer, I worked in the School of Fine Arts and Architecture at Antalya International University (Turkey), teaching in the areas of Urban Design and Sustainability, and Construction Materials and Technologies (2015-2017). At Loughborough, as a University Teacher in the Architecture School, I led the modules of Design Studio A (undergraduate) and Contemporary Cities: Theory and Design (postgraduate), and supported the modules of Design Skills, Architectural History, and Critical Theory (2021-2023). I am currently leading the module of Disaster Risk Management for the Built Environment, part of the Civil Engineering programme.

As a built environment professional, between 2010 and 2015 I operated in the post-earthquake reconstruction in L’Aquila (Italy) where I was involved in projects of retrofit and restoration of  RC and traditional stone masonry structures (2010-2015).

At Loughborough University I also worked as a Doctoral Leader in the Institute of Advanced Studies (2020), co-chaired the SABCE Hub Committee (2018-2021), and joined, then led, the Doctoral Researchers Representative team in the ABCE School (2018-2020).

Awards

• C-DICE Research Development Grant (2023)
• Loughborough University Doctoral Prize Fellowship (2023)
• Loughborough University Doctoral College Research Student Prize (2020)
• Highly commended in SABCE Doctoral Researcher Excellence Award (2020)
• Finalist in the Santander Impact Award (2019)

External activities

• Member of the Interdisciplinary pan-Wales network for Climate Heritage (September 2023)
• Invited expert at the OAR and Italian Civil Protection professional webinar series on post-earthquake reconstruction (November 2022)
• Guest lecturer at the 2021 ISAR International Architecture Summer School on Post Disaster Reconstruction, ‘Reviving depopulated towns’ (July 2021)
• Invited expert at the ICCROM international training course ‘First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis’ (November 2019)