To do and know something together: overcoming the obstacles and challenges of action-research in making better urban worlds

Many philosophers and scientists challenge the linear relationship between knowledge and action; a position that calls into question the idea that the answers to our cities and regions’ most crucial and wicked problems can be found in ‘textbooks’ or ‘manifestos’– no matter how up to date they might be. Rather, we argue the stickiest urban issues are best tackled by trying, learning lessons from failures, and attempting again to develop knowledge from experience. Embracing this perspective challenges a fundamental building block of institutions dedicated to professional research and higher education and raises important questions. The collection of essays in this special issue of Tracce Urbane explores the ‘heuristic’ dimension of obstacles and constraints faced by researchers in their collaborative practices.