A thesis prize from local authorities for Juliette Pinard

Thesis supervisors

: Elsa Vivant and Olivier Coutard

In the context of a recent craze for the notion of transitional urban planning, this thesis focuses on the appropriation of temporary space occupation approaches by urban planning and real estate professionals. Stemming from long-standing practices, temporary occupation projects are multiplying across Greater Paris in vacant buildings and sites earmarked for future urban development. A "hot" and evolving topic, transitional urban planning is imbued with a plurality of values and issues by the actors involved in these approaches: owners, local authorities, developers, promoters, and new professionals in temporary occupation.

The main focus of the thesis is on the transitional urban planning approach developed since its creation in 2015 by SNCF Immobilier, the organization responsible for managing and developing the SNCF's vast land and real estate assets. Originally an experimental approach, transitional urban planning has become a new business activity, bringing strategic and operational challenges upstream of urban projects. Through ethnographic immersion within SNCF Immobilier and an empirical study of the implementation of these temporary projects, this thesis aims to investigate the company's use of these approaches, the new difficulties they raise, and the values and challenges that employees associate with these projects. As a source of change within SNCF Immobilier, the development of transitional urbanism provides a broader illustration of the ongoing transformation of professional practices, modes of action, and representations within the organization. The operator's thinking is influenced by its gradual integration into a new community of practice promoting transitional urban planning, which is accompanied by a renewal of its methods and thinking about the long-term development of the city.

This research uses transitional urbanism as an analytical tool to put into perspective the evolution of city-building methods, the transformation of urban spaces, and the changing roles of urban planning and real estate stakeholders.

Keywords

: transitional urbanism, temporary occupation, urban project, SNCF, ethnography


Thesis defense on Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Streaming link to watch the defense live: https://youtu.be/-MLRozYhHr8

Members of the jury:
Lauren Andres – Associate Professor, The Bartlett School of Planning UCL (Rapporteur)
Olivier Coutard – Director of Research, CNRS (Thesis Supervisor)
Laurent Devisme – professor, ENSA Nantes (Rapporteur)
Maria Gravari-Barbas – Professor, University of Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne
Benoît Quignon – Director General of Services for the City of Marseille (Guest member)
Elsa Vivant – Senior Lecturer, Gustave Eiffel University (Thesis Supervisor)

Year of thesis registration
: 2016

Doctoral school
: City, Transportation, Territories

Publiée le 24 June 2022