New Housing Researchers Colloquium

A special day is intended for new researchers, engaged in PhD studies on any housing related topic. It will take place on June 30, 2025 in Créteil, close to Paris.

You may choose to present work that’s nearing completion or in progress in a friendly, constructive atmosphere. Based on short presentations you will receive oral feedback on your presentation and questions you might have by the session chair and other participants. You may choose to present your paper in a setting that offers a mentor’s critique: the papers will be reviewed by experienced researchers who provide critical feedback and suggest improvements. The aim is to help you develop your work. It’s also a setting in which unresolved research questions and difficulties encountered can be tackled collectively.

This day also offers participants the opportunity to establish new academic contacts worldwide, through informal exchanges, and an event dedicated to new researchers and mentors.

The themes of the call for papers are the same as those of the symposium. You can submit a proposal to this day and to a session of the symposium, and they can be identical (in which case your presentation on this day will be a trial run) or different, depending on which works best for you. For the abstract you wish to submit for the NHRC, select “New Housing Researchers Colloquium” in the topic section of the submission platform.

Presentations and discussions will take place in English, but the aim is to understand each other, not to demonstrate perfect mastery of the language.

In addition to the paper presentations, participants of the New Housing Researchers Colloquium will have the opportunity to either discuss methodological issues within collaborative networks or take part in a field visit to Créteil.

1. Innovative and participatory methodologies / Participatory methodologies and coproducing of knowledge

The development of participatory research, community-based research, action-research and creative research has been on the rise in recent years in the field of housing: what changes do these methodologies bring to our approach to empirical data? How can the idea of co-producing research results be taken into account in research designs? And in so doing, to what extent does research build bridges with the artistic, activist or political fields?

Maximum number of participants : 20

2. The role of theory in PhD research: the relationships between the development of a theoretical framework and fieldwork

The development of a theoretical framework and the process of generalization are often part of the (sometimes intimidating) expectations of thesis work. However, depending on national academic traditions, thesis supervision, disciplinary affiliations, or methodological approaches, the relationship with theory in research can be quite varied. The goal of this workshop is to discuss the role of theory in our thesis work, addressing issues such as the construction of a theoretical framework, the use of academic literature, the relationship between theory and fieldwork, and the generalization of field observations. We will also wonder to what extent our results should be included in international theoretical debates.

Maximum number of participants : 20

3. A (big) data turn? Exploring the contribution and methodological issues of diverse datasets to analyse housing systems

We observe a general trend towards the massification of data in housing research, along with the opening up of new digital resources. This availability of data raises a number of scientific and methodological questions: What new fields or areas of research do these new data open up, and what are the pitfalls that may arise, both ethical and methodological? How can we take into account the biases inherent in the production of this information, between the uneven digitisation of territories and the strategies of stakeholders, public and private providers? How can we build a comparison using these resources, which remain heterogeneous between contexts (local and national) and their scales of analysis (housing unit, building, census tract)? How can these data be cross-referenced and inter-operated with other datasets in order to explore the relationship between housing location and other places or research topics?

Maximum number of participants : 20

4. Research Goals: Navigating Between Conceptual Contributions and Operational Needs

Defining research goals is a critical step in shaping a thesis project. Yet, depending on the academic context and existing affiliations—for instance, partnerships with external organizations—this process may involve navigating conflicting expectations.
What makes a research objective relevant and well-defined?
Is it possible to contribute to theory and respond to practical needs at the same time?
What risks arise from trying to satisfy conflicting expectations, and how can we manage them?
How do institutional, disciplinary, or funding contexts shape our goals—sometimes in tension with each other?
How can we reflect on and adjust our objectives throughout the research process?

Maximum number of participants : 20

5. Fieldwork and relationship with interviewees

During our fieldwork, we are required to conduct research and carry out interviews with various groups, whether they are residents or stakeholders. These research situations can raise a number of both practical and ethical questions. The focus of this workshop will be on the issues of positioning with regard to the respondents, providing an opportunity to address challenges such as access to the field and to the respondents, conducting interviews in diverse contexts, and presenting results (sometimes critical) to the respondents.

Maximum number of participants : 20

6. Visit of Créteil

Créteil stands as a quite unique example of planned growth in the Grand Paris. The visit illustrates the recent history of urbanism, with iconic buildings such as the Choux chosen for the conference website.

Maximum number of participants : 20

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