The stadtsoziologie of Berlin, at a crossroads
Laure joined the Franco-German campus of Sciences Po in Nancy in 2004 through the international procedure, after a year of preparing for the French literary competitive exam (a procedure that has not been possible since 2011). From Nancy, she went to Berlin for her third year, "outside the walls" at Humboldt University. There, she discovered and studied urban sociology and geography. In Berlin, these subjects take on added significance due to the city's history of division and reconstruction, visible in its urban form.
She developed a taste for "the urban phenomenon" and then joined the Master's programme in Territorial and Urban Strategies, which celebrated its first graduating class. In her first year of the Master's, she actively participated in the founding of In Situ, which was established in November 2007 by a second-year team (Benjamin Panchout, Doriana Kostic, and Céline Moyon) alongside alumni.
Between the two years of her Master's, Laure undertook a short internship at the CAUE (Council of Architecture, Urbanism and Environment) of Val-de-Marne. "It was a first experience in the Île-de-France region. An initiation and immersion into the professional environment that allowed me to test things out." She recommends this experience, having been on the recruitment side, as it responds to the requirement to diversify professional experiences, but especially because a short internship allows one to test a professional environment they might not be sure about committing to.
This immersion complements her collective project for the DPVI (Delegation for Urban Policy and Integration of the City of Paris). She conducted an exploratory study on the potential for participatory urban tourism, a then-emerging topic that has developed significantly since (greeters, etc.). This study aimed to identify employment opportunities for residents of priority neighbourhoods.
Addressing various issues related to territorial development
At the end of her Master's, Laure began an internship at Setec Organisation, a consulting firm in strategy and management, in Paris. With her diploma in hand, she was hired and continued working at SETEC Organisation for two years. There, she undertook missions and studies on several topics, such as the impact of major transport infrastructures and facilities, territorial economic development, and the organisation of local authorities.
In early 2011, she joined Algoé, a consulting firm in territorial strategy, where she stayed until the end of 2015. "It was the varied challenges and the intellectual flexibility required by the consultant's role that attracted me the most. However, it also demands a great deal of availability due to the workload." She worked on the Grand Paris project, urban policy, the Future Investment Programme (PIA), and territorial reform.
"The missions related to the Grand Paris law were particularly stimulating because, while the topic is not new, there was a pioneering aspect to the metropolitan construction process: a blank page to write on!" She was already familiar with the Île-de-France region, but this time she worked on mobilising stakeholders such as the State, ANRU, various service operators, and local actors in connection with Grand Paris.
From this experience as a consultant in the private sector, she appreciated the diversity of topics and the level of interlocutors. Thus, she was often able to engage directly with decision-makers (elected officials, directors). The role of a consultant often allows one to operate at a higher level than a project manager, for example. Nevertheless, the pace of work does not always allow for in-depth exploration of the topics brought forth by each new assignment.
Upon joining the Direction of Territorial Strategies at the General Commission for Equality of Territories (CGET) as an evaluation project manager in December 2015, she aimed to spend more time reading and analysing the issues she faced in depth. After seven years of supporting local stakeholders in the implementation of public policies, she became more involved in the reflection on the design and evaluation of those policies. At the Directorate of Territorial Strategies and Evaluation, she is responsible for evaluating public policies for territorial equality concerning economic development, employment, and business matters. These are areas experiencing significant transformations, with considerable impacts on territories. Thus, the challenge is to produce discourse and analyses on these transformations for territorial equality.
From the private to the public sector, the content hasn’t changed much, considering that yesterday's "missions" are today's "files." Ultimately, recommendations must be produced. However, she confirms that the pace of central administration is not the same as that of consulting, with notable rigidities, conservatisms, and inertia.
Territorial strategies: from the halls of Sciences Po to citizen mobilization
Finally, Laure is the President of the association Mon Voisin des Docks, in the eco-district of the Docks of Saint Ouen (1000 registered on its website monvoisindesdocks.fr). This district, which will be served in 2019 by line 14, the first line of the Grand Paris Express, will host the Île-de-France Region in 2017, then the Nord-Francilien hospital, along with many other investment projects. "It is a melting pot for the 'Grand Paris' project." "Our mission within the association is primarily to enliven the social life of the neighbourhood, consisting of new residents who have just arrived in a new area." Hence, the role of the association, established in 2013, is to facilitate and organise social relations among neighbours, organising regular events: with a supportive smile, she says, "this way, I mobilise experiences learned from the In Situ association." But the mission that seems to excite her the most, and which brings together each of her previous experiences, is the role to be taken in public debate. "If one wants to be heard, one must be very involved in local life, know the institutions, be diplomatic, demonstrate that one is not in a NIMBY position, and be constructive in our relationships with stakeholders." Even in 2016, giving voice to citizens, residents, and users is anything but a given in the making of the city. Ultimately, this is Laure's way of participating in the construction of Grand Paris, in a citizen-driven manner.
Her advice for students of the Urban School
Continue to read extensively
Reading (be it specialised press, research articles, parliamentary reports...) should not stop with studies but rather continue beyond, as the world of cities and territories is constantly evolving. The benchmarks have already changed significantly between 2008, the year of her graduation, and today, making it essential to integrate ongoing changes into one's professional practices.
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