Partners:
Gustave Eiffel University, LATTS
Paris Est Créteil University, LAB'URBA
University of Perpignan, CDED
University of Avignon, ESPACE
Ecole des Mines, ISIGE
Aix-Marseille University, TELEMME
Open University (London)

InveST analyzes the implementation of sustainable development requirements in local public action in a context of increased financial rigor. To this end, it tests two hypotheses: first, that the rationales, instruments, and practices associated with this austerity influence the selection of priorities and the content of local public action in terms of sustainability; second, that public action carried out under financial constraints accentuates disparities between and within territories. To this end, InveST questions the ways in which financial austerity is represented and mobilized by actors as both a constraint and an opportunity for the implementation of local sustainability policies. It also analyzes financial practices and power relations in territorial political systems in order to qualify the role of austerity in transforming political agendas, objectives, and the conditions for the production of public action on sustainability. These issues are studied through two complementary objects. The first describes the evolution of central government policies and its relations with local authorities in the application of the austerity agenda. The second is a comparison of six urban inter-municipal groups. The analysis of financial discipline is carried out for five areas of public action selected for their financial weight and sustainability challenges: local authorities' land and real estate assets, water networks, social housing, urban and economic development, and sustainable mobility.  

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

Under the scientific supervision of François-Mathieu Poupeau (LATTS) and Virginie Boutueil (LVMT), the "Mobility as a Service" research program was launched in October 2020 as part of the "Regulating the City of Tomorrow" Chair signed between École des Ponts ParisTech and RATP. Led with the help of Julia Janke (post-doctoral researcher) and Thomas Quillerier (research engineer at LVMT), it focuses on the development of "Mobility as a Service " (MaaS), which can be broadly defined as a service for users, offered via an app or website, that combines several modes of transport with route calculation, fare estimation, and payment features. MaaS is now known under brand names such as Whim, Citymapper, and Waze, to mention only the most widely used and popular worldwide.

Appearing in the 2000s against a backdrop of digital technology development and the rise of new shared mobility modes and services, this tool, which can be likened to a digital platform, was notably promoted in France by the Mobility Orientation Law of December 24, 2019, which strengthens the powers of mobility organizing authorities. It has several objectives: economic (to boost the transport and mobility offer, particularly alternatives to the car), environmental (to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions through reduced use of private vehicles), and social (to promote better accessibility for people who do not have a private car or public transport near their home or work).

The introduction of MaaS raises many challenges for public authorities, particularly for French regions and inter-municipal authorities, in their capacity as mobility organizers. What position should they adopt with regard to this tool (let the market do its work, encourage, support or supervise its deployment, etc.)? What skills and forms of regulation should be developed to control its use (contractualization, public-private partnerships, modes of governance, etc.)? What links with traditional transport operators need to be rethought? What coordination arrangements between territories are needed to avoid fragmentation? These are some of the questions addressed in this research project, which draws on a multidisciplinary team of humanities and social sciences researchers drawing on work in sociology, political science, geography, and socioeconomics.

To answer these questions, the project is built around three complementary areas of research.

The creation of a global observatory of MaaS platforms aims to provide an accurate and comprehensive description of the tool's dissemination, based on a standardized definition (what scope of transport and service offerings qualifies as MaaS? What are the minimum features that must be included?). In order to understand the dynamics of the deployment of these platforms, in space and time, the data produced at the start of the project will be updated in 2022.

The purpose of writing a number of city monographs is to provide a more detailed and qualitative analysis of how local public authorities are adopting MaaS in practice. In particular, it will address issues such as the choice of economic models, forms of governance and regulation, and the implementation of public policies (in terms of the environment, social inclusion, etc.), depending on local contexts.

The final aspect of the project, which is more "operational" in scope, is the establishment of a methodology for evaluating the effects of MaaS. It responds to a stark observation: the lack of a reliable tool for evaluating what these platforms produce for the community. At the very end of the project, the aim will be to develop a methodology enabling public authorities to better measure and understand the impacts that MaaS can have in relation to the various objectives that may be assigned to them.

In addition to regular meetings between the LATTS-LVMT and RATP teams, the project is organized around a biannual seminar entitled "The mobilization of MaaS by cities: models, governance, effects." Bringing together an audience of researchers and practitioners, it aims to structure a community for discussion around MaaS and its uses.

Guillaume Fournier, who is writing a thesis at LATTS on the deployment of MaaS in French cities, is also involved in this work.

The article ParisTech School of Bridges and Civil Engineering – RATP Chair "Regulating the city of tomorrow" Research focus: Mobility as a service (MAAS) first appeared on LATTS - Laboratory for Territorial and Societal Techniques.