Comics and Urban Spaces: Reflecting on a Graphic Anthology on Stigmatised Italian Neighbourhoods

The article critically explores the use of comics in the field of urban research by reflecting on the graphic anthology Quartieri: Viaggio al centro delle periferie italiane (Neighbourhoods: A Journey to the Centre of Italian Peripheries), an experimental initiative that uses comics to portray five marginalised neighbourhoods. The analysis begins by discussing the idea of comics as a tool for broadening the target audience of academic research, reflecting on their (sometimes unexpected) potential, but also on the challenges and difficulties in achieving this goal. The following section considers the extent to which the language of comics can help to conduct urban research, particularly in contexts of territorial stigmatisation. Using panels from Quartieri, it identifies three key tensions within the comic form that are particularly relevant to this type of research, addressing both the strengths and the often overlooked limitations of the medium.