FRANCE
FR/IRSTV
More than half of the world population lives in cities and our society is confronted with more and more complex urbanization control problems. A generalized enlargement in the cities and metropolis is noticed where paradoxically, town centers are getting denser while we are observing a centrifugal peripherical urbanization. Towns are becoming bigger space and energy consumers and we have to cope with bigger mobility problems. The Research Institute on Urban Sciences and Technics wants to play a major role on these environmental and social issues : it mainly develops studies of the urban physical environment and investigates its interfaces with human, social et economics domains. In this context, IRSTV has the following fourfold mission : - Leading an interdisciplinary research in the field of the urban physical environment. The research program concerns the development of knowledge, models, methodologies, management tool, design tools and decision-making tools which contribute to a better fit with the urban physical environment and to the sustainable development in cities ; - Coordinating and managing a interdisciplinary network of teams and institutions which work in this field in France and abroad ; - Developing research training courses at doctoral and postdoctoral levels and professional teaching actions ; - Transferring the research results through broadcasting actions and creation of professional activities. Summary provided by http://www.irstv.cnrs.fr/article.php3?id_article=319