(1). To which policy priorities have the issues of energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption been linked, and by which actors? How were the instruments of public policy developed? This project provides an insider’s analysis of the process by which a policy framework for reducing energy consumption was constructed, under the banner of energy efficiency.

(2). At the same time, the project examines the trajectory of energy efficiency in the public sphere. How was energy efficiency publicised, covered by the media and politicised in the French public sphere?

(3). A quantitative sociological survey examines the reported energy-related practices of ordinary citizens, insofar as these have been altered (or not) by this turn of events. Have the re-emergence and reframing of the issue had an impact on ordinary citizens, both in terms of public opinion and social practices?

(4). Finally, on a more local level, the project seeks to address a particularly visible aspect of frugality through the switching off of lighting in public spaces. Does this reorder the importance attached to different issues? Four areas relating to the construction of frugality as a solution to a public problem are examined: discrete and sector-specific spaces, spaces of public communication, spaces of domestic appropriation, and urban spaces. The analysis combines different time scales, perspectives and methods from sociology, political science and urban research to investigate previously unanalysed data and draw lessons for action on the issue of reducing energy consumption.

The project is divided into five work packages:

• Work Package 1. Research into specific and sectoral contexts: the political construction of public policy instruments designed to reduce energy consumption.
• Work Package 2. The trajectory of energy efficiency in the public sphere: understanding the construction of energy efficiency through changes in media framing, public narratives and partisan policy agendas
• Work Package 3. Quantitative study: Understanding how ordinary citizens perceive and adopt the issues surrounding energy efficiency through their reported practices and perceptions
• Work Package 4. Study of lighting as a case in point: the visible face of energy consumption reduction?
• Work Package 5. Management, coordination and dissemination

The article SOBREPOL first appeared on LATTS - Laboratory for Territorial and Societal Techniques.

Drawing on a personal research programme undertaken over several years, as well as the extensive academic literature on the subject, this project aims to examine, using France as a case study, the ‘energy transition’ as a government activity and, through this, to analyse the transformation of governance in a sector which, in that country, has long been organised and regulated centrally. To this end, it develops the concept of ‘governance infrastructure’, based on a framework combining an infrastructure-based approach (in line with infrastructure studies and Michael Mann’s work on the infrastructural power of the state), multi-level analysis (to account for the plurality of actors involved in processes of restructuring) and neo-institutionalism (an incremental school of thought developed notably by James Mahoney and Kathleen Thelen).

The article Managing the ‘energy transition’ in France first appeared on LATTS - Laboratory for Territorial and Societal Techniques.

The DISEE project (Spatial Dimension of Engagement with Exiles) examines the spatial dimension of discouragement, the emergence of ‘long-term volunteers’ and the circulation of knowledge between areas of engagement.

Led by Antoine Esnos (PhD student in sociology, LATTS, Université Gustave Eiffel) and Annaelle Piva (postdoctoral researcher in geography, UMR Géographie-cités, P.A.R.I.S. team), this project was selected as part of the first round of the GIS GESTES ‘Amorçage’ 2026 Call for Projects.

With regard to migration, the research draws on participant observation, semi-structured interviews, sensitive mapping and a comparison of organisations with differing statuses and models of action. The project focuses on three initial hypotheses:

1. The spatial dimensions of voluntary or activist work contribute to a ‘politics of discouragement’ amongst volunteers and to their burnout.
2. Long-term commitments transform biographical, professional and activist trajectories, blurring the boundaries between volunteering and paid employment.
3. Careers in activism, which are often multi-sited, contribute to the circulation of knowledge and the professionalisation of the field of aid to exiles in France.

DISEE is focusing more specifically on two border areas: Calais and Briançon. Field research took place in 2026 and will continue in 2027. A presentation of the findings is planned for late 2027 as part of a study day.

Photo credit: Grande-Synthe, 2020, Antoine Esnos

The article DISEE first appeared on LATTS - Laboratory for Territorial and Societal Techniques.

An external survey of 15 cities conducted in 2025 on their initial reactions to the availability of large language models reveals a shared concern about the uncontrolled use of consumer-grade AI and a search for alternatives between general-purpose solutions (such as Copilot), semi-generalist solutions tailored to local authorities (led by Delibia), and sector-specific external solutions (such as MA IA for public procurement or Doctrine for law). Initial applications are for general editorial work and a few rare internal sector-specific tools; however, there is widespread caution regarding chatbots open to the public, due to the risks of hallucination. The implications for staff’s work still appear difficult to assess but are the subject of close scrutiny.

In terms of strategy, developments are being driven by a focus on regional development or the modernisation of the administration. Charters and guides have been developed in all towns, though the issue of environmental impacts still appears difficult to assess. An effort is being led by CIOs to engage elected representatives and other departments, such as HR, on the subject. Cooperation between cities appears necessary, but the approaches vary (CIO network, interconnections, CNFPT, Dinum). This initial approach introduces two surveys conducted within the City of Paris’s departments in 2026.

Internal survey on the use of large language models within the City of Paris. In-depth interviews with city staff who use an AI tool to explain the impact on their work and on relationships with colleagues. Focus group session for users to share their experiences.

Survey on image recognition tools applied to the urban transport sector.

The article SOCIAPARIS first appeared on LATTS - Laboratory for Territorial and Societal Techniques.

More specifically, the analysis focuses on the regionalisation phase of the planning process, which was launched in late 2023 through the establishment of a new mechanism for dialogue between central government and local authorities: the regional and departmental COPs. Held on a regular basis, their aim is to facilitate the implementation of national objectives relating to climate (mitigation and adaptation), biodiversity and natural resources (water, etc.). Drawing on the monitoring of dissertations from the Specialised Master’s programme in ‘Public Policies and Actions for Sustainable Development ’ (PAPDD) at the École nationale des Ponts et Chaussées and on a series of interviews conducted on a regular basis (2025, 2026, 2027) with a sample of stakeholders involved in these processes (central government, associations of local authorities, General Secretaries of the regional COPs, Regional Councils, DREAL and DDT(M)), this study analyses the scope of this new framework and its institutionalisation (genuine? thwarted?), in a context where the role of the SGPE and environmental issues are being strongly called into question.

The article Localising ecological planning in France: a review of the COP experience first appeared on LATTS - Laboratory for Territorial and Societal Techniques.

The thesis was defended on 28 November 2025 under the title: The institutionalisation of the smart city: public entrepreneurs, interstices and the circulation of models.

This thesis analyses how the ‘smart city’ is becoming institutionalised within French local authorities across three case studies: La Rochelle, Paris-Saclay and the Communauté de Communes du Pays Haut Val d’Alzette. It examines the emergence of a new field of territorialised public action driven by the combined effect of national incentive frameworks and local innovation dynamics. Drawing on the concept of the local public entrepreneur, the notion of interstices and the idea of the circulation of models, the study demonstrates that the institutionalisation of the smart city results from a process of translation and adaptation. It emerges that local officials, acting as genuine local public entrepreneurs, play a pivotal role. They exploit institutional interstices to experiment locally with socio-technical systems (urban data platforms, digital services) whilst relying on national instruments (calls for projects, labels) to legitimise and structure their initiatives. The thesis thus sheds new light on the mechanisms through which the smart city is gradually taking shape in local public policy, highlighting the importance of mutual learning between regions, multi-level funding and the co-production of shared frameworks between public and private actors.

The article The institutionalisation of the smart city: public entrepreneurs, gaps and the circulation of models. first appeared on LATTS - Laboratory for Territorial and Societal Techniques.

But the fact is, the sea is not an empty space: largely overlooked by the energy sector, it is home to a diverse range of activities, from transport and fishing to the navy and porpoises: it is a whole range of sectors that have existed there for decades, even centuries, and with which we must now contend on a daily basis. And the maritime sector, which is particularly involved in maritime planning, has no intention of standing idly by whilst the fifty or so planned offshore wind farms are established: from direct action to negotiations over corridors and appeals to the President of the Republic, public action on offshore energy must therefore cooperate with another sector whose values, standards and balance of power are substantially different.

At the heart of the analysis lies the planning of offshore wind power, which was placed on the political agenda in the early 2020s and keeps the government and stakeholders working daily towards two objectives: developing wind power (1) and establishing it at sea (2). In this context, one factor is essential: no one claims exclusive use of the sea. Consequently, the conquest is not a trench war: on the contrary, it is negotiated, interpreted and (re)politicised. Far from being confined to a single technical-economic lens – a ‘resource’ – offshore wind planning is also a matter of governance and of mobilising heterogeneous networks of stakeholders. To understand how, in 2022, 40GW could be announced and how the issue of access to space could be institutionalised to become the defining challenge of the first half of the 2020s, we examined the state’s capacity to organise itself internally and externally to meet its objectives. What emerges is the gradual emergence of a coalition of ‘builders’ – from the energy and maritime sectors – working to promote the conditions for specific planning and to implement it across the territory.”

The thesis, in the field of political sociology of public action, is based on 137 interviews conducted at national level (ministers, ministerial departments, central government bodies, service providers, industry representatives, environmental organisations) and at regional level (decentralised government departments, elected representatives, fishermen, environmental organisations). It also draws on several field studies (public debates; central government).

The article Conquering the seas, planning for offshore wind power (2009–2026) first appeared on LATTS - Laboratory for Territorial and Societal Techniques.