26 Mar 2024
Job Information
- Organisation/Company
Avignon University- Department
ESPACE- Research Field
Geography » Cartography
Engineering » Thermal engineering- Researcher Profile
First Stage Researcher (R1)- Country
France- Application Deadline
10 Jun 2024 - 23:59 (Europe/Paris)- Type of Contract
Temporary- Job Status
Full-time- Hours Per Week
35- Offer Starting Date
1 Oct 2024- Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?
Not funded by an EU programme- Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?
No
Offer Description
Today's cities are under strain, under the yoke of a number of anthropogenic and climatic constraints whose effects are converging towards a concentration of both population and infrastructure. In France, local authorities' Local Urban Development Plans (PLU) attempt to apply the Zero Artificialisation Net (ZAN) objective to limit any extension of artificialisation and combat urban sprawl. These plans generally advocate the densification of built-up areas within cities, nibbling away at spaces where vegetation could develop within the city. In addition, the concentration of populations encourages the shared use of urban amenities, reducing the distances travelled by car and, in principle, emissions of atmospheric pollutants. In this context, the importance of plant life in the city is growing substantially, not only because of its scarcity, but also because of its ability to produce certain ecosystem services (shade, agricultural production, oxygen production) that contribute to the attractiveness of the city and, more generally, to improving the quality of life for its residents and visitors.
Added to this is the pressure of climate change, the foreseeable impact of which is twofold: a constant average increase in temperature associated with an average scarcity of water, and the more frequent occurrence of extreme climatic events. What's more, plants are often a natural way of enhancing our heritage, a geohistorical marker. Combining an approach to safeguarding outstanding urban sites with the protection and promotion of appropriate vegetation to enhance them is a promising way forward. More specifically, it involves optimising the choice of sites to be renatured according to their anthropo-ecosystemic services and the conditions for plant development.
In this context, the aim of the thesis, positioned in geomatics and urban spatial analysis, is to propose a robust methodology for selecting urban sites to be (re)vegetated according to a number of criteria from different fields. Firstly, using measurements of micro-climatic variables (temperature, humidity), we will describe the urban environment with a certain degree of precision. This information will be projected as a function of foreseeable climate change in order to anticipate the resilience of (re)vegetated sites. The proposed method takes into account the heritage value of urban sites, whether historical, socio-cultural or ecological. Indeed, these vegetated sites can offer strong synergies (aesthetic, tourist), and must be preserved and not deteriorated (materially, for example). There are also criteria relating to the population: the visibility and attractiveness of the sites in the urban environment, and the potential to generate agricultural production in a dense anthropised environment.
Finally, the ability of the chosen plants to resist and adapt will be a key consideration. Of course, some of these criteria may be incomplete or unsuitable depending on the site. Particular care will be taken to qualify the uncertainty associated with the data describing the criteria, in particular as a function of the scales of analysis. The challenge is to produce a robust method of quantitative multi-criteria analysis, i.e. one that can withstand the uncertainty in the data and the increase in statistical load. Approaches based on rank (Pareto), duality (Condorcet), objectivity (Electre) or subjectivity (AHP) will be used for all or some of the criteria identified with the partners. The project is co-directed by specialists in geomatics and decision support from two disciplines: geographic information sciences and engineering and systems sciences. The city of Avignon is a key application partner. The thesis is part of the RAVIVE project, currently being evaluated by the ANR as part of the PEPR VDBI (sustainable city and innovative building) programme.
Requirements
- Research Field
- Geography » Cartography
- Education Level
- Master Degree or equivalent
Skills/Qualifications
The thematic profile is open, as is the type of training (university, engineering, France or abroad).
The student should have solid skills in spatial analysis and geomatics. Knowledge of or an interest in R and Python development in geomatic environments (QGIS) will be appreciated.
Other criteria: environmental awareness and motivation to develop research useful for adapting to climate change; spoken and written English.
- Languages
- ENGLISH
- Level
- Good
Additional Information
Work Location(s)
- Number of offers available
- 1
- Company/Institute
- Avignon University
- Country
- France
- Geofield
Where to apply
[email protected]
Contact
- City
Avignon- Website
https://univ-avignon.fr/laboratoire/laboratoires-en-sciences-humaines-et-sociales/umr-7300-espace-etude-des-structures-des-processus-dadaptation-et-des-changements-de-lespace/- Street
LOCIE Batiment Helios, Boulevard du Lac- Postal Code
73370
[email protected]
STATUS: EXPIRED