Managing the residential attractiveness of a territory in the post-covid-19 crisis context: the contribution of territorial marketing and spatial planning sciences

CONTEXTUALISATION Residential attractiveness is a major issue in dynamisation and balance of territories. The latest studies on this subject (POPSU, 2022) seem to confirm the idea that the Covid-19 crisis tends to accelerate residential mobility current trends. In recent years, we observed a boom in territorial attractiveness initiatives led by local authorities. Local public organisations of all sizes are interested in these attractiveness issues (Alaux et al., 2015). Residential mobility is a subject of study common to several social science disciplines. This concept can be based on work in economics (Bütikofer & Peri, 2021), sociology (Martí & Ródenas, 2021) and geography (Schachner & Sampson, 2020). Nevertheless, it is difficult to obtain a real consensus to characterise and understand residential mobility. Also, practices and tools that local public organisations can mobilise to make their territory more or less attractive have not yet been the subject of public management research. In addition, it seems necessary to better understand the targets of this concept, taking into account targets that have a freely chosen residential mobility and the specific needs of the territories. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK This study, at the crossroads of public management sciences and urban planning, focuses on residential attractiveness. To study the issues of residential attractiveness, we mobilise the economic base theory (Hoyt, 1954) with the concept of presential economy (Ruault, 2017). Presential economy includes residential economy which represents a major issue for local development and competitiveness according to the authors mobilising these concepts (Davezies, 2009). Furthermore, residential mobility, which is closely linked to the life cycle of households (Kan, 2007), is defined as 'a process of choice, which depends on the costs incurred by mobility and the gains that individuals hope to make from it' (Arnoult, 2020). This process is divided into two phases: the mobility choice phase and the destination choice phase (Brown & Moore, 1970). The process theory (Pye & Pettigrew, 2005) seems to be an appropriate framework for reading and understanding residential mobility. We will use the evolutionary process theory and the definition of process as ‘a sequence of events that describes how things change over time' (Van de Ven, 1992). In addition to this work, we would like to make recommendations in terms of management and spatial planning that will meet the needs of the territories. PROBLEMATIC AND METHODOLOGY How is the process of residential mobility characterised in a post-covid context; and how can local public organisations manage and develop their territories in order to be in phase with their needs and the expectations of mobile households? Our research will be based on a mixed methodology. The analysis of qualitative data in the first instance will help to prepare a larger quantitative study and to be able to propose a model testing new hypotheses. In addition we will set up a "mirror" methodology, going beyond the duality generally found between the study of targets or marketing managers (Alaux, 2018). Our research will be divided into two phases: A qualitative study in the form of interviews with local public organisations' managers mobilised on residential attractiveness issues, and a quantitative study (on secondary data) to observe residential movements in France. A quantitative study using primary data that we will collect in the form of a survey distributed to households who have recently moved.