ROUVIER-PONS Armand

• Depuis 2021 : Thèse de doctorat « Au seuil de la ville. Quelques contributions à la théorie géographique de l'accès » codirigée par C. Enaux – Laboratoire Image, Ville, Environnement - UMR 7362 – et S. Knobe – Sport et sciences sociales (E3S) - UR 1342.

• 2021-2024 : Assistance à la coordination du projet ANR Joining Urban morphology, Spatio-Temporal and socio-cognitive accessibility for an Inclusive City Environment.

Access, urban policies and the geographies of (dis)ability

My dissertation discusses the normative treatment of accessibility (measurements, regulations), the empirical observation of access (efforts, interactions) and its modes of appropriation (perceptions, dispositions). Spanning social geography and urban studies, the first chapters propose a synthetic presentation of several approaches based on the work of Amartya Sen (social choice, capability approach, etc.), the right to the city and disability studies. The second part addresses concerns regarding the quantitative evaluation of competitive access to opportunities embedded in urban density—emphasizing its connections with economic segregation and the theories of distributive justice. It builds on two case studies (Lyon and Strasbourg, France) dealing with proportional allocation mechanisms and the claims of sufficientarianism; one examines the effects of suburbanization on car use and household energy consumption, while the other focuses more specifically on the spatial availability of health services. The results provide a fine-scale analysis of the disparities measured along the rural-urban continuum and suggest an investigation into the political implications of their (mis)perceptions. Supported by a participatory action research methodology, the final section employs the notion of disabling environments to simultaneously study the physical infrastructure (public spaces, transport system) and the institutional configurations underlying the exclusion of persons with reduced mobility. It explores the complexities arising from the heterogeneity of these populations and their intersections, then details the development of an interactive atlas. In order to approach the situations as they are experienced, the latter is adapted to the various access constraints observed. Eventually, the conclusion comments on the use of such visualizations as an advocacy tool for citizens' associations.

Themes: Accessibility, Urban mobility, Public transportation, Spatial justice, Mapping, Participatory approaches, Ableism

PEER-REVIEWED PAPERS

Pons A., Finance O., and Conesa A. (2024). The fuel of discontent? Transport poverty risks and equity concerns in French urban peripheries. Environment and Planning B, Urban Analytics and City Science.

Pons A., Bréjat S., and Conesa A. (preprint). Discussing the accessibility of urban environments: standards, efforts, perceptions. Journal of Transport Geography.

WORKING / CONFERENCE PAPERS

Pons A. How suburbanization reshapes household energy use.

Conesa A., Pons A., and Nihoul A. (In press). A mixed-methods study on inequalities in accessibility: Evidence from Brussels and Strasbourg. Transport Research Arena proceedings, Dublin.

SELECTED PRESENTATIONS AND EXHIBITION

Pons A. (2024), Participative approaches for accessibility planning: a review and applications. AESOP Annual Congress, Paris.

Pons et al. (2024). Mind the gap! How does unequal access to the city affect persons with reduced mobility? Poster and Atlas presented at the French quantitative geography meetings, Besançon, jury prize.

Part-time exhibitor for the Greater Strasbourg Authority (2024). 30 ans du tram.

• Depuis 2021 : Université de Strasbourg, doctorant en Géographie et Aménagement

• 2017-2021 : ENS de Lyon, majeure en Géographie
• 2015-2017 : Khâgne B/L au lycée Lakanal (92)