[Portrait] Laure Casanova Enault, Senior Lecturer in Geography (UMR 7300 ESPACE)

What are your current scientific activities?

I am currently involved in three main projects:

• A research programme on multiple ownership of land and buildings funded by theUSHthe PUCA and theIDHEALwhich I coordinate.
  >> Multiple ownership of land and property: what are the effects on local markets and what are the regulatory issues?

• A research programme looking at the socio-legal embedding of land markets in France and Luxembourg, coordinated with Antoine Paccoud and funded by the ANR and the FNR.
  >> Socio-legal embedding of land markets: A comparative approach to ownership structure and regulatory systems (France-Luxembourg) - DISTRILAND

• The GIF Chair (Geodata, Real Estate, Land) to which I am actively contributing in collaboration with several colleagues (in particular Guilhem BoulayAntoine Peris and Delphine Blanke) and with the support of national public and private partners positioned at different stages of the transformation chain from land to property.
  >> Read more

Why did you choose to work in academic research?

My two main motivations were to have the freedom to choose my research topics and the colleagues with whom I will collaborate. I also wanted to investigating territoriesI wanted to take on subjects that were poorly documented and analyse them over a long period of time. During my thesis, I was struck by the extremely short working times set aside for each project in some design offices.

I also wanted to discuss the results of my research with students and local players, and to ensure that they resonated with decision-makers to improve planning and the quality of life in the region.

What advice would you give to students who want to do research?

I'd like to invite all students to see research as a way of life. a fast-moving professional field with its roots in societyThis goes against the grain of certain ideas that are sometimes put forward.

There are many issues at stake, from access to housing and natural areas to the implementation of the environmental transition. They call for responses based on scientific reasoning.
My advice to those who want to embark on this path is to believe in their chances of success, despite the reduction in posts in Higher Education and Research.

There are also opportunities to do research in structures other than just universities, which is something that our courses are designed to raise awareness of, particularly the Master's degree in engineering (CMI) : https://formations.univ-avignon.fr/formation/diplome-universitaire-cmi-ingenierie-durabilite-territoires/.

What object or image from your business best illustrates you?

This type of sign is a valuable source of information, as it contains details about the land, often relating to its sale price, the seller or the type of buyer sought. It is also a witness to the land transactions that are transforming areas, and which are often invisible until they are built on.

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