Niklas Gerst

Bio

Having completed a Franco-German degree programme at Sciences Po Rennes, it was during an internship that I discovered urban planning and decided to specialise in this field for my Master 2.

I then worked for several years at a consultancy firm, where I mainly supported local authorities in drawing up or updating their local urban development plans (PLU(i)), whilst also contributing to pre-operational studies, before joining the LATTS in 2025 to undertake my PhD.

My thesis focuses on the less visible side of urban planning documents: the mechanisms for applying their provisions and the concrete effects of this implementation on the urban spaces created in France and Germany. More specifically, the aim is to examine the capacity of these documents, within their contexts of application (social, organisational, economic, technical, etc.), to enable a green orientation for the projects carried out.

In this respect, it is the effects of urban planning in terms of urban forms that are examined here, given that urban planning constitutes the regulatory framework for the majority of developments carried out in France through the granting of planning permission.