urban spaces

Thomas Leduc

Researcher Name: 
Thomas Leduc
Affiliation/s: 

AAU-CRENAU, CNRS, Ecole nationale supérieure d’architecture de Nantes

Country/ies: 
France
Description of Research in Relation to Placemaking : 

Daylight distribution, shadows, proximity of occlusions, depth of view, openings, sky-views, etc. condition the urban streetscape. They help build the genius loci, contribute to the atmosphere that emanates from the place, and thus shape our daily lifes. The micro-local analysis of this variety of parameters and induced effects is the main object of my work. Rational and efficient placemaking activities cannot ignore these various dimensions.

Interest in Contribution Field/Context: 

Placemaking advocates a renovated urban planning, which places the inhabitant or passer-by at the heart of the concerns. It is a plural, collective, integrated approach... which must embed every “tiny” detail (the pleasure of sitting on a bench in the sun during a cold winter), every life experience, into the design of the city. I wish to contribute, within the WG1, to the identification of the affordances of the places with regard to these sort of amenities. This identification will participate in the collection of local knowledges, the constitution of local urban archives and the history of sensing the place.

Case Studies Conducted / Participated In: 

The COOLSCAPES project’s aim is to study the spatio-climatic devices (e.g. cooling canopies, miroirs d’eau, air-conditioned envelopes) within their physical, use and sensory dimensions. A better understanding of their effects will help identifying the appropriate cooling techniques for the populations facing the future climate. Three specific objectives lead this project:

(1) characterizing and spatializing the climate parameters in terms of ambiance;

(2) characterizing the citizens’ uses and perceptions; and

(3) analysing the current cooling practices and identifying the emerging lines of reflection.

(COOLSCAPES project – leaded by I. Requena - is supported by the French National Research Agency, ANR, under reference ANR-18-CE22-0003).

Modes of Investigation: 

In-situ measures and simulation based investigations using geographic information science and its associated technologies.