Theorizing and Modeling for Land Use Planning

THEMA is a research laboratory specialized in theoretical and quantitative geography. Within the COMUE Bourgogne Franche-Comté, it associates the CNRS and the universities of Bourgogne (Dijon site) and Franche-Comté (Besançon site, headquarters of the UMR). The laboratory is organized in three thematic axes: (1) Landscape and living environment, (2) Mobilities, City and Transport, (3) Territorial Intelligence.
The research conducted within ThéMA focuses on the design, development, use and valorization of quantitative methods for the analysis of spatial structures and dynamics.

They cover a wide spectrum, from fundamental to applied research, including :
– theoretical approaches: urban models, formalization of stakeholder games, ontologies of geographic information…
– original protocols for data acquisition in the field: surveys and sensors in the Arctic environment, capture of mobility through new information and communication technologies, etc.
– the design and development of spatial modeling methods: spatial and landscape metrics, analysis of transportation networks, simulation and territorial forecasting tools, etc.
This work is carried out in a perspective of decision support in land use planning, for the improvement of living environments and the implementation of sustainable development. They imply the development of software and territorial observatories, tools for which the laboratory has a specific know-how.