OBSERVATION, OBSERVATORY AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT

Houda Neffati &Jean Jacques Girardot, Cabinet ALGORITHMICS, Paris, France

Université de Franche Comté, Besançon, France Houda.Neffati@gmail.com jjg@mshe.univ-fcomte.fr

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to show how today thanks to new information and communication technologies, it is possible to grasp the understanding of complex objects such as a territory or stakeholder roles as well as managerial difficulties linked to the diversity of stakeholders and their cultures, through observation and in particular setting up a territorial observatory. This work is in the context of the territorial intelligence paradigm. Our scientific approach to the complexity is essentially empirical and continually makes reference to the systems theory. It nevertheless leads us to theoretical, conceptual, methodological, organisational and functional considerations in the field of observation. This article will focus on the territorial observation at the local government level which is currently being developed using geolocation and geomatics. We will compare them with other types of territorial observation. We will outline the challenges it now faces. We will conclude with the specific contributions of the Catalyse method in terms of local territorial information. The project, presented here, describes setting up a territorial observatory in the town of Les Abymes, Guadeloupe, using the Catalyse methodology The observatory therefore becomes a data resource for citizen involvement rather than being simply a decision-making tool for politicians and experts.

Keywords: Territorial intelligence Catalysis, Knowledge Co-construction, Transmission, Participatory Governance. Introduction: Sustainable development is now part of public law: Evidenced in Europe, by the Amsterdam Treaty, and in France, by the LOADDT, the farming act, the "Chevènement" Act, on solidarity and urban renewal, etc. It sets new specifications for sustainable development and focuses on the implementation of policies at the local, national and European level. It aims to take a position, in the medium and long term on territorial projects which both combine economic development, social fairness and environmental protection and take account of a range of principles, specified at an international, European or national level, such as diversity, subsidiarity, partnership or involvement. A programme of actions can only be built by through territorial analysis. In terms of sustainable development, it is a new approach to assess the specific situation and trends for the territory: "Performing an inventory is part of a strategic approach to territorial development. The analysis is not a monograph or a simple and supposedly objective description of a territory, it is the baseline which prepares for the debate about an area that is inhabited, has an identity, and is developed and supported by development principles". From a sustainable development perspective, the approach begins with an overall principle and identifies the links between the different development components (economic, environmental, social and cultural). This analysis highlights explicit shared local issues. This analysis and approach draw on the permanent issues of sustainable development, specific local issues and specific analytical objectives.

Based on local experience, it also brings to light concerns often ignored in conventional approaches, but essential when it comes sustainable development: fairness (social, between territories, individuals or generations), subsidiarity and even governance. Therefore, the analysis is not simply an isolated step in the decision-making process, but is a process in itself. As a result, its organisation is an essential requirement for effectiveness in the decision making process. Any analytical project should meet clearly defined assessment objectives. (Chételat, 2005). The reasons for the analysis vary depending on the context (process for managing territorial conflicts, structural planning, monitoring the town's development, designing a territorial project, etc). However, in most of these situations, the process of identifying and defining the problem to be resolved is usually based on an analytical process (Chételat, 2005) Thus, territorial observatories are devices that have a regular activity of data collection which they transform, document and publish in the form of indicators. They developed after the Second World War, by disseminating down from the international arena to the local level under the combined effects of the worldwide spread of information technology, project management and the decentralisation process. As territorial tools, they help in political and administrative decision-making using precise, condensed data and/or providing all types of users (financial managers, institutional bodies, students, citizens, etc.,) with a range of regularly updated data. They are part of an innovation and knowledge sharing process which aims to review, anticipate, foresee and then implement. These naturally interdisciplinary tools are capable of verifying in real time or off-line, across interacting themes: demography, housing, economic development, landscape, etc. and bringing together institutional partners, social workers and citizens. The effectiveness and performance of a territorial observatory depends on its suitability to how and where it is used and similarly, the specific nature of the environment.

However, territorial observation is a very ancient activity which has always been associated with exercising power. Still principally concentrated at international and national levels during the 50s and 60s, it gradually moved closer to a local level that is "closest to the people" (Rio Declaration, 1992). Since the late 90s, in Europe it fits in with stakeholders desires to be involved in developing, managing and evaluating collaborative projects, which involve managing data on the main characteristics of the (local government) territory and its community.

Territorial observation is also therefore moving towards becoming a data resource for citizen involvement rather than being simply a decision-making tool for politicians and experts. In the knowledge-based society that focuses on human capacity, local observatories meet individual and collective expectations for knowledge and understanding of complex objects such as a territory or stakeholder roles. We then identify two interdependent tasks: On the one hand the technical development of the model and the territorial observation tool, and on the other hand, project management and support of the social system to develop and set up the Observatory. I: Issues for territorial observation Observation is "the attention that a living being brings to the signals emitted by its environment, in order to adapt its behaviour" in such a way as to ensure its survival in its environment. In reference to this definition inspired by the University of Princeton, territorial observation can be defined as the careful, rigorous and systematic examination of the territory, through the senses or by collecting data in order to increase its knowledge about its environment so that it can better adapt to it. In this case, the territory means the result of interaction between a geographical space and the community that lives there and has recourse to these activities.

Social and territorial observatories have experienced strong growth in the past few decades due to both the dissemination of data and communication technologies and decentralisation.

The spread of computers, since the Sixties, has helped disseminate the use of basic statistical analysis, multi-criteria methods and generic spatial analysis tools such as GIS, albeit still insufficient in human and

social sciences.

We then saw the development of national theme-based observatories. Multidisciplinary regional observatories developed following decentralisation, which increased local government needs for information and decision-making tools. These local observatories are essentially decision-making tools for the local government.

The most recent development is the creation of local, partner and participatory observatories that are accessible to civil society. It is currently experiencing a strong impetus from a Europe searching for new development directions based on combining the economic, social, environmental and cultural objectives for development and initiated by socio-ecological transition (European Commission, 2009) for the peaceful evolution of individual and collective behaviour by promoting cooperation and participation.

These are the tools used by local and multi-sectoral development partnerships, which should:

• Share, pool and cross-reference data from multiple sources derived from extremely varied topics, sectors and levels,

• Propose data analysis, knowledge gathering, defining relevant projects and evaluating the effectiveness and impact of projects to stakeholder partnerships for co-operative spaces.

• Widespread information sharing in the community enabling everyone to participate (Girardot & Ormaux, 2008).

The local data is useful for decision makers, local government departments and stakeholders to take decisions, implement them and observe their impact by monitoring the development of indicators. Stakeholders know that this is essential to defend projects submitted to increasingly demanding financial backers in a climate of strong competition. It is also useful to manage, assess and rationalise actions. Citizens are increasingly using this data in their professional life, but also for making personal decisions, about their leisure time and for claims.

However, territorial observation at the local level still faces many challenges. Below we highlight five major difficulties:

• The most important is the lack of public information available at the infra-town level.

• Conversely, we are faced with a mass of information.

• Then there are few social and environmental indicators consistent with sustainable

development.

• Disparities between sectors of spatial divisions and updates over time complicate cartography.

• Local information still lacks transparency

Although many indicators are derived from personal data (persons, households, companies), most of the observatories that provide public indicators do not publish statistical information below the level of the commune (city, town or village). Individual data may even have been the subject to intermediary aggregations at more detailed levels than the commune, but they are only at best published at the communal level. It is often necessary to ask the statistical institutes for more precise data and, although it is public information, you have to pay to access it.

Conversely, the increasing amount of available data challenges the human capacity to store and analyse it. This often requires decision makers to surround themselves with many experts that increase exponentially in line with the size and complexity of the territory. The individual and collective ability to adapt to our environment, which characterises intelligence, therefore decreases.

Another, more general difficulty is the imbalance between the economic, social and environmental indicators for sustainable development and especially, socio-ecological transition. Even the social

economy lacks indicators to create its social and environmental added-value in terms of relevance and impact, while companies justify their competitiveness by moving the social and environmental costs onto local and national government.

Another difficulty is the diversity of zonings available due to the high level of overlap between the different institutions. Employment pools, social spaces, large districts, residential areas ... often there are as many divisions as sectors within the same small territory. This is often complicated by disparities in the frequency of updating, making it difficult to make comparisons or differentiate.

Despite the data resources that we currently have access to, local data still lacks transparency. The accessibility to information remains low for non-specialists, due to the lack of specific metadata.

Cartographic representation of data is a key issue for observation. The map, which has always been an important medium for spatial analysis, has now been strongly boosted by geomatics. In a few decades, we have moved from the idea that a map was something that could only be made and understood by experts, to a situation where people without any formal training are using GPS on a daily basis. GPS, now found in many cars and mobile phones, is clearly one of the best examples of how expert tools have been democratised through the intelligent use of information and communication technologies.

II: Catalyse and territorial observation The "Catalyse" territorial observation method has been the subject of numerous investigations in the context of the territorial intelligence network. The coordination work of the European Network of Territorial Intelligence, caENTI, and the European Union's 6 th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, has shown that territorial data and indicators formed the focal point for monitoring territories, and were more important than processing tools. It is essential for identifying the answers to the analysis process ranging from the general issues to implementation tools. The tools have been aligned with local practices and European standards, allowing inter-scalar comparisons, then they were integrated into an information system, from data collection through to printing the results (Girardot & Al. 2006.). Issues relating to local indicators and cartographic representations (Devillet & al., 2007, 2009) have also been the subject of an initial study.

Catalyse has provided an innovative approach to all difficulties facing local observation by proposing a comprehensive territorial approach to the needs of individuals and territory, supplemented by a selection of relevant indicators. If there is to be a genuine integrated approach of the phenomena studied, its territorialisation is key. This is possible by spatialising indicators that are able to reveal the heterogeneity of the space, depending on the choice of indicators and the level of detail of the scale where the indicators are available. A detailed spatial division then helps to understand the phenomena of segregation, fragmentation, divergence ... These are selected from the most accessible public indicators that we supplement with indicators drawn from the data shared between stakeholders.

Catalyse has also promoted simple solutions for cartographic representation. It uses public indicators, based on a definition of the limits and the division of the territory. If necessary, it uses a spatial unit that lets you use and reproduce the various existing divisions as Geographic Information Systems.

There are currently many commercial or free solutions that integrate statistical and graphical analysis, but these are not always easy to implement despite the apparent ease. The map has become a dynamic and participatory medium, highly attractive to the general public, particularly the young. Geolocation, 3D representations and smartphones multiply the interactive potential very rapidly.

Catalyse is currently designed to use systems such as Google Maps, which are economic - or even better free - to show the location of a resource directory service using a point, or the action area of this service, using a polygon or using colouring to represent an indicator's value. We are working with the designers of the StLocus method which uses a participatory process to define and qualify micro-locations, such as a hamlet or a farm. Although the satellite lets you remotely identify a location from an aerial view, you can only identify it from the side or the inside from the ground.

Catalyse goes further by making use of the information available on the territory, held by public and private stakeholders, businesses, institutions, study and research centres, cultural institutions, data

collectors, individuals, etc. We can then top up the 'external' public indicators with "internal" indicators taken from surveys of the general public, by sharing data collected by each stakeholder during its (professional or volunteer) activity, during interviews with people or during observation activities. This approach to observation which basically uses surveys or observations made with human individuals or statistics, has the advantage of not "forgetting" the individual behind predefined groups or predetermined territorial areas. Instead it restores the dynamic of groups and areas depending on the development of presentation techniques and individual behaviour. III: The Catalyse Territorial Observatory for the town of LES ABYMES The council team aims to become "Les Abymes, Intelligent and Sustainable town" by 2020–2030. It plans to provide itself with the tools and methods, enabling it to make an inventory of its resources and assess their suitability to its population's needs in a participative approach. Firmly committed to sustainable development, the town of Les Abymes, hopes to equip itself with decision-making tools that will give it a better understanding of its territory and initiate a policy for the local population. A: Context Guadeloupe is both a region with just one 'département' (or county) in the French overseas territory, and an extremely peripheral European region, located in the Americas. The town of Les Abymes is located at its centre. It is town with the highest population in the region, with 58,354 inhabitants and is home to the International Airport "Pole Caraïbes", the gateway to the archipelago The town of Les Abymes has been a member of the Urban Community of Cap Excellence (Pointe à Pitre, les Abymes et Baie Mahault ) since 2010. To the south-west, bordering Pointe à Pitre, it is an urban area (Grand Camp RAIZET) undergoing full redevelopment (511 million euros, Opération Ruzab ANRU with 13,000 homes and 20,000 inhabitants involved). In the centre, an area with a strong economic development potential, traditional housing mingles with an HEQ shopping area (at Providence, Perrin DOTHEMARE ); a health centre, and an administrative, commercial and logistical centre. In the Northeast, there is an area of hills and valleys: Les Grands Fonds; farming plains, aquatic environments (Taonaba, Mangrove visitors' centre). The town council employs 1300 staff (town council, schools and social services); the town council, made up of 47 councillors, is managed by 8 departments. The territorial monitoring unit currently reports to the General Services department, within a monitoring and administrative office which has the role of assisting other departments in an organisation which should encourage de-compartmentalisation, cross functionality and project based management. This approach of setting up a territorial observatory arose from the following observation: The town of Les Abymes and the urban community of Cap Excellence are teeming with projects (3 billion euros in public and private investment over the next 15 years: reconstruction of the University Hospital (€600 Million); Urban renovation (€511 Million for Anru 1 /500M for Anru 2); Interurban tramway (€300 million, call for projects Sept 2013...); Multi-sector waste treatment platform (€150 million); Regional airport, airport park, extension of the A380 (€120 million) as well as two multiplex cinemas each with fifteen screens and a connected leisure centre; deep water port; Logistical centre and plans for a centre of excellence, etc. The town has a strong potential for economic growth despite a situation marked by high unemployment, an unemployment rate amongst the young of more than 75% in some districts (Vieux Bourg), and spiralling rates of violence and delinquency (the phenomenon of youth gangs making their living by selling drugs, mugging along with in-family violence which illustrates the limits of intergenerational support and the dangers of serious social problems). At the end of 2012, this rise in insecurity led the state government to designate a part of the territory of Les Abymes as a Priority Security Area, along with 63 other regions in France, with the aim of improving the coordination of preventive and repressive measures by public and private bodies. To establish its policy and try, by using the powers invested in it, to cope with this social emergency, the town maintained an investment policy on the structural projects and supported its voluntary sector (2,400

voluntary organisations in 2011); All this, after swallowing the deficit of 26 million euros through a cost cutting austerity policy and the increase in the tax base (creation of a tax monitoring unit in 2010). The council team made the following strategic choices : Creating the urban community of Cap Excellence with the town of Pointe à Pitre. Transferring all mandatory and some optional powers to Cap Excellence;

ñ Overhauling its organisational structure in 2012; ñ Adopting a multi-year investment plan; ñ Adopting the Urban Development Plan (UDP); ñ Implementing an Agenda 21 programme including the development of a Territorial Energy

Climate Plan; ñ Implementing Sustainable Development Action Plans; ñ Implementing a flood action and prevention plan; ñ Setting up a Job centre, the FIER centre in partnership with SPEmploi to manage work integration

programmes; ñ Enlarging the urban renovation project team; ñ Dividing the territory into 23 sectors; ñ A series of seminar programmes for town councillors and council managers; ñ A seminar in April 2012 on the theme of Territorial Intelligence and the Forum of the Sustainable

Town recommended the creation of a territorial observatory using the Catalyse method. It aims to:

ñ Increase the territorial attractively (both rural and urban) in order to improve employment opportunities for the population of Les Abymes;

ñ Have access to precise field data (analysis of social needs, development path for economic players)

ñ Reduce the digital divide in the town; ñ Equip the council with information systems which in time will improve interactivity with its citizens

via portable devices (smart phones, flash codes); ñ Have access to information technology intelligence to collect large amounts of data on the

expectations of the population and transform them into decision-making tools; ñ Implement open data systems to encourage citizen involvement and improve access to

information for Abymians

B: Territorial analysis This is the first step in integrating the Catalyse method and tools in the Observatory of Les Abymes by combining it with the methods and tools it currently uses. This collaboration, was carried out over three seminars held in Les Abymes and a permanent remote support of the Abymian team.

1) Seminar to implement a programme of territorial analysis (April 2013)

An initial training programme gave the opportunity to explain, give details and discuss the principles of territorial intelligence which are behind the Catalyse method of territorial observation, as well as the specific aspects of this method with a focus on sustainable development, and which implies consequently that there is an overall approach, cooperation between stakeholders and the citizen involvement. Catalyse aims initially to create an inventory of people's needs, and secondly local services capable of meeting these needs; as well as useful indicators to assess the amenities and local constraints.

Catalyse then compares people's needs and local services by considering these indicators. This comparison is performed from a quantitative, qualitative and spatial viewpoint (location). Services can then be assessed and development proposals put forward. It's the stakeholders who identify what information is useful (needs identification questionnaire, directory of services and territorial indicators.) The stakeholders are also involved in interpreting the results in order to encourage the development and

implementation of projects, initiatives and actions. A round table at the same time as the general coordination meeting, a weekly event, bringing together all the department directors under the management of the Director of General Services and assisted by the Director of the Deputy Mayor's office has highlighted the expectations of department heads, who mainly stress their concern for managing local development to prevent it being carried out "next to us, but without us", very much in line with the principles of territorial intelligence and the specific approach of Catalyse, which we have summarised. The presentation of the International Network of Territorial Intelligence and its drivers: Meeting the needs of local stakeholders by drawing on stakeholders' skills in partnership with the local university, served as the basis for this summary. It showed that Catalyse draws on significant experience while respecting specific local issues. It was difficult to provide a framework for the methods used in developing the observatory considering that Catalyse is based primarily on harnessing local stakeholders and resources. The different council services are of course involved in harnessing these resources and the town, its councillors and its employees form a powerful lever. Once the resources that can be used have been identified, it is possible to assess the level and duration of the external support, on the understanding that it's a temporary measure, since the objective is for an independent local observatory. Individual interviews, focus groups and a survey were conducted to identify and understand the stakeholders needs and expectations with respect to development of their Observatory. This upstream work also helped to inform all the departments and most of the town's elected officials about the Observatory's role and its new dynamic. The principle of applying the Catalyse method within the town's Observatory to carry out an initial territorial analysis based on a survey of 400 users of municipal services, with the support of municipal services and other territorial stakeholders has been validated. This small-scale analysis is usually the first stage of rolling out the Catalyse method, the second stage involves a more comprehensive analysis: A team of volunteers within the Observatory, the departments and stakeholders has emerged. A questionnaire template was presented, as well as the stages in creating a participatory analysis, informed by the experiences of other Catalyse observatories within the international network of territorial intelligence.

An internal coordinator has been appointed to manage the "Abymes" project at the technological platform and lead the work of the team at the Observatory. An initial round table discussion led to suggestions on how to develop the questionnaire using the template and the critical steps in the interview process and recording the answers.

The remote support has enabled the group to define and validate the specific questionnaire for the town of Les Abymes. At the time of the second seminar we had around 300 completed questionnaires, including that 148 had been data processed. The target of 400 questionnaires had not yet been reached, but the number of responses processed was enough to simulate all the opportunities and challenges of a fully processed survey.

An assessment at the end of the training course served to highlight participants' motivations and the cross functionality of the approach which plays a role in de-compartmentalising departments and improving the operations of each service. After understanding the data processing possibilities, the Observatory and the team decided to carry out a survey in order to create a representative sample from the very first stage.

2) Second Seminar: data qualification (June 2013)

The second seminar was used to specifically study creating a rough appraisal of this first data set, followed by the technical process of data qualification: checking 'no-answers', coding open questions, recoding unrepresentative modalities for closed questions, and preparing the qualitative analysis.

This process was analysed question by question. We were then able to study the quantitative analysis

process along with the qualitative data: presentation and comments on the quantitative tables and graphics, qualitative data analysis techniques (correspondence analysis and automatic classification).

While the Catalyse proposes an original approach which requires the integration of quantitative (survey techniques), qualitative (data analysis) and geographical (Geographic Information Systems) statistical tools, these are classic tools for statistics, geomatics and project management that any observatory might use. They are generic scientific tools. The major differences are principally, that it involves managing a partnership of stakeholders involved in specialised, compartmentalised business sectors, and also that citizens, all with diverging or even opposing interests, are involved. This implies a management and communication process on top of to the usual statistical and computing tasks within an observatory. These tools were presented and their uses were explained in reference to an example which allowed a comparison to be made with the current needs of Les Abymes Observatory, since it creates a strong connection with the town's services with private partners.

Support for sample testing and data qualification Following this seminar, remote monitoring helped finalise a theoretical sample according to the distribution of population by sex, age and residential sector based on publicly available data, then we supported data collection using the Catalyse sampling tool. We then followed the qualification process, step by step and issue by issue, by ensuring:

• compliance with a multi-sectoral approach and that all the stakeholders and citizens thoroughly understand the questionnaire;

• That an assessment of services, that had been previously identified, is indeed included;

• That twenty questions are written in such a way as to be compatible with the twenty indicators available locally and are useful to stakeholders.

• Answers will be entered using the software ePragma, which performs a formal quality control on the data entered.

The support also covers training the survey staff and monitoring the quality of the answers recorded. ePragma automatically calculates the results (flat tabulation or frequency table) of all questions.

3) Third seminar: launch of the results analysis (October 2013)

An initial workshop was devoted to the quantitative analysis. It was aimed at identifying two types of results. Those which validate professional knowledge or stakeholders practices: these were put to one side, demonstrating that they were now available to defend projects. Those which surprised the team and should be examined in more depth with the qualitative analysis and are likely to generate new projects or reconfigure existing projects. The aim of this workshop was to lay the foundations for the qualitative analysis.

A second workshop was devoted to the qualitative analysis where the team was involved in interpreting the factorial analysis axes and the six classes of the automatic classification. In particular it required drafting the needs profiles to be specified by the Observatory after the seminar in order to subsequently organise the discussion tables that fully involve stakeholders in order to identify the actions that match the needs profiles.

An initial assumption was proposed with regard to the meaning of the first two factorial axes, which organise the overall responses, respectively, social status, and the age of the inhabitants of Les Abymes from youth to old age. The meaning of the third axis still requires interpretation.

A second assumption deals with the meaning of the classes. The wealthier Abymians span two classes, with the second of these classes showing greater interest in ecology, the third includes mainly workers in the modest income bracket, the fourth, unemployed people, the fifth unemployed youths and the sixth,

pensioners. Then, we began to deepen the needs profiles for each class.

During a meeting with the mayor, the team presented these results and discussed future work: preparing a larger survey; developing a database of territorial indicators to corroborate the results; and promoting projects by associating stakeholders based on the profiles and then building a computerised directory of stakeholders to improve knowledge and combine resources.

The Observatory of Les Abymes has strengthened its involvement. A qualified statistician became vice-chairman of the observatory to run more in-depth analyses of the results.

Therefore the analysis must:

ñ Help launch a more representative survey based on a representative sample of 1000 people. ñ Pare down the questionnaire by selecting the questions that yield the most information, while

keeping those which stakeholders deem essential for the dashboards. ñ Include the comparison of the first set of public indicators to start building a database of regularly

checked public indicators. ñ Extract from the needs profiles, action areas to rally together stakeholder groups to resolve these

needs.

Support in analysing the results The support was then provided to drill further down into the quantitative and qualitative results and integrate them into a summary in order to provide feedback to stakeholders. It began with a quantitative analysis by including the pared down questionnaire, as well as searching for indicators in order to compare the results of the sample with national (France) and regional (Guadeloupe) data. We also performed a qualitative analysis, which led to the selection of issues and the characters to provide more data to support our proposed pared down questionnaire. The identification of profiles should produce concrete action areas to enable the observatory to organise discussion tables to identify projects.

C: Initial summary of the analysis

A first summary of the results was made. It is primarily aimed at producing the first overall results to set up in-depth operational support for the Observatory of the town of Les Abymes. This summary should allow the above-mentioned operational objectives to be implemented: a more representative survey, database of public indicators and identification of actions that meet the needs profiles.

This synopsis is based on three tables summarising the situation of the inhabitants of Les Abymes, from the results of the survey, in the light of available government data on France and Guadeloupe; the difficulties most frequently expressed; the behaviours and opinions expressed in relation to municipal services and life in the town of Les Abymes.

1 - General situation of the inhabitants of Les Abymes

These first results give a summary of responses to questions relating to gender, age brackets, education level, lifestyle, number of dependent children, socio-economic classes, income source and housing type. For this part we sought, where possible, to compare the responses obtained with the public indicators published on the Internet for all of France and for Guadeloupe. The goal was to compare the results of the analysis with external indicators, in order to get an initial insight, which should be taken with a pinch of salt, given the lack of recent data for these indicators. This problem can be solved in the long term with the regular updating of the indicators, a procedure recently implemented by INSEE.

Summary of demographic situations

With 60% of the population made up of women, the female sex is more represented among the population of Les Abymes than in France1 or in Guadeloupe2. We note that the percentage of female citizens was

1 Insee, 2014 http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/detail.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=bilan-demo&page=donnees-detaillees/bilan-demo/pop_age2b.htm 2

slightly higher compared with the census of 2009, where it was 55%. It may be possible that the sample has been over-estimated by using data for housing sectors.

In terms of age, the population of the Les Abymes is generally, younger than the French population, and the population of Guadeloupe. We note that this is a developing phenomenon given that it is the 26-39 year olds who are primarily concerned, while younger age bracket from 18-25 are not more numerous than the same age bracket in Guadeloupe as a whole or in France. In the age bracket 40-59 we still find proportionally more Abymians and Guadeloupians that in France. Accordingly, we find relatively fewer of people aged 60 years and over in Les Abymes. It is therefore logical to expect a faster population ageing process in Les Abymes than in France.

The education level of the population is examined with a question on the highest educational diploma obtained by the respondent. The results must be assessed very carefully given that out of 400 respondents, only 237 responded. However, we can observe that the levels of higher education are much lower in Les Abymes and that we do not observe an extended period of higher education.

In terms of life style, the Abymians are significantly more likely to live alone (36%) than Guadeloupians (17%) and French3 (18%). This phenomenon mainly affects women (75%). It is difficult to go further at this early stage of analysis to see if these single women have children. Due to the lack of data, we cannot compare the percentage of people who live with their family (26 %). This rate nevertheless seems high, while we note that more than half of the people who live with their family are over the age of 25.

Les Abymes is characterised by a high percentage of families with 3 or more dependent children.

Comparisons at the level of the socio-economic class are more complex insofar as the INSEE socio-economic classes are mainly for working adults who, according to our survey represent 45% of the population (employees and self-employed). By including pensioners, who derive their income from their past work, and students, assuming that they will find a job, we move to 63% of the population who derive their income from a job in the present, past or potentially in the future. The remaining 37% are divided between job-seekers who are not eligible for an allowance (13%), who are more numerous than those who receive an allowance (11%), those who receive the RSA (welfare benefit) (12%) and those without any job or benefit (7%). In the same way that a proportion of the students are likely to join the ranks of job seekers, the "without professional activity" can hide "invisible" job seekers.

The question on the source of household income shows that many respondents have a family member who is working or retired. We note the importance of 'social' income (excluding pensions): family benefits (21%) and social aid (6%), as well as the low penetration of unemployment benefits compared to the unemployment rate, which officially stood at 30.18% in 2010.

In terms of housing type, it seems that there are more owners, and fewer tenants in Les Abymes than in France. Home ownership is certainly an important factor in Les Abymes, but it doesn't hide the fact that there is a wide variety of owner categories. Social housing seems to be important, but we have little guidance at this level. What is indisputable, it is the high number of people housed for free (who are not in the youngest age bracket). 2 - Difficulties expressed: Here, we discover the main difficulties stated by respondents. These are difficulties that are frequently mentioned, including some acute problems, which may be more marginal, but require our attention. These difficulties should be the focus of action areas at a political level, and also for projects agreed between stakeholders. Insee, 2013 civil status (data domiciled), population estimate. Redefined into identical classifications as the survey of Les Abymes. http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/tableau.asp?reg_id=26&ref_id=poptc02104 3 Insee, 2012 Enquêtes emploi, http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/tableau.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=NATTEF07232

They have been grouped by themes: economic problems, quality of life, problems related to housing, health, problems related to the environment, and classified by decreasing frequency, starting with those mentioned by most people to the least mentioned issues.

Summary of the major difficulties expressed

We are interested in people who reported having one or more problem, knowing that according to the issues between a quarter and a third of Abymians explicitly declared not to have any problems. In general, it is not easy to admit to having a problem. Accordingly, we believe that the answers are a lower reflection of reality, particularly for acute problems.

The economic difficulties come out on top, with 53% of Abymians feeling financially insecure. More than half consider that their economic situation can quickly degenerate, leaving them in a more insecure position. This is felt by considerably fewer employees who are afraid of losing their jobs (7%). One person in five is afraid of losing their home.

Almost one person in five has no income. These tend to be women and young people, but there is also 3% of the elderly people who declare that they have no income, which is not negligible but which will have to be looked into further since we are below the statistical margin of error.

18% of Abymians say they need help finding a job. Two thirds are women and span all age brackets (with the exception of those over 60).

5% are receiving advice about debt. One in twenty Abymians also complain of poor working conditions.

The difficulties related to quality of life are presented next. At the top is the difficult access to public transport (41%) in addition to the difficulties of transport and travel (26%). As they don't strictly add up, in total 54% of Abymians complained of difficulties related to public transport.

More than one in three Abymians (35%), complain about the lack of free time, which suggests that while nearly a third of the Abymians are officially job seekers, more than a third appear to be overworked, although they don't all complain about bad working conditions.

The feeling of isolation is felt by 15% of people, including two-thirds of women. They tend to be older people, but younger people also complain about feeling isolated.

In a regional context of high exposure to natural cyclone and seismic disasters, we find that 36% of the population say that their housing does not comply with seismic standards, and that 30% say their housing does not meet anti-cyclonic standards. In most cases, with regards to anti-cyclonic standards, the person stated that the housing does not comply with seismic standards either. Therefore the housing of 28% of Abymians is neither earthquake nor anti-cyclonic compliant.

27% of Abymians also complain of problems with waterproofing in their housing, a major problem given the intensity of tropical rain. No more than 40 people (10 %) simultaneously mentioned a problem of non-compliance with seismic and anticyclone standards. Waterproofing is therefore an additional problem.

Other housing-related problems are classified in order of importance in the graph below. Apart from the standards that were separate issues, housing-related problems were dealt with via a multiple-choice question. 36% explicitly stated that they had none. 54% mentioned at least one difficulty, two on average.

We have few points of comparison to assess health responses. The problems we have identified seem worrying through experience, with in first place 28% being eligible for CMU (free health care), 23% having long-term health problems, 21% having used emergency services in the last year and 17% having requested treatment. 17% are moderately or severely obese and 14% who mention health or welfare problems among children, which is considerable.

We also note 7% with disabilities and 4% with medically recognised disabilities. These figures need to be compared with the services that take responsibility for these problems.

Two-thirds of these problems concern women and one-third, men. The elderly often have several problems, which makes sense. However we must also consider that health or social protection problems also affect the 30-59 year olds, which is disturbing for the future.

23% of Abymians declared that they do not have a problem with their surrounding environment (and 7%

did not respond). 70% of Abymians mention on average two to three problems related to their surrounding environment. Apart from anti-social behaviour (20%), problems that affect the senses come first: noise pollution (21%), neighbourhood noise (19%), odours (20%) and filth (18%). Noise issues total 30% by adding noise to neighbourhood noise (once subtracted from those who complained about both of them). The problems of urban development then form a second group: areas prone to flooding (16%), lack of public areas (16%), urban decay (14%), lack of public facilities (14%) and abandoned vehicles or houses (13%). 3) Assessments and behaviour The following summary looks at the answers to questions asking for opinions on the town of Les Abymes and the municipal services, and then those that reflect social and ecological behaviours.

Summary of opinions

49% of respondents say they are very happy with the town of Les Abymes, and only 11% say they are are not very happy, which is remarkable. The answers are more difficult to analyse when it comes to the sense of belonging, since 12% say they have a strong sense of belonging, offset by 10% who do not feel they belong at all. The town offers a good lifestyle but this is not reflected in the answers for the sense of belonging. Another index is more positive: of the 29% of Abymians who say they are looking to move, only 18% say they would live in another town. These opinions do not result from a lack of knowledge of other towns as 23% of respondents stayed outside of Les Abymes during the previous month and 30% have travelled abroad during their lifetime. Even though the word "stay" is ambiguous in the first question, the number of inhabitants of Les Abymes who travel outside of the town for the work, visiting family or for leisure activities is high. The questions on user satisfaction of municipal services showed quite satisfactory scores: 81% of responses were positive for the civil registry, 75% for the housing-related services and 81% for education, 62% for the CCAS (social services). It will be interesting to understand which categories of people gave negative responses. The qualitative analysis provides answers to this type of question.

Summary of socio-ecological behaviour

In terms of social involvement, 25% of Abymians do some form of voluntary work and a comparable percentage, 23%, say they belong to a local association or charity. 38% of Abymians practice some kind of leisure activity. We also note that 35% of people say they do not have any free time. 47% recycle their waste and 44% use the recycling centre in Petit Pérou. It is difficult to analyse these figures of limited importance apart from the availability and accessibility of services. It also needs to be compared with the filth, abandoned vehicles or odour problems, about which a substantial number of people complain. This difference is certainly down to territorial disparities. 38% of Abymians have their own form of transport, in spite of the difficulties noted earlier in relation to travel, and only 25% use public transport. The answers to the question "Are you or would you be willing to pay more for products that are "sustainable, "better for your health" (57%), "create local jobs" (35%), "environmentally friendly" (33 %) or "manufactured in accordance with social rights" (26 %) show a strong sensitivity of the inhabitants of Les Abymes to the principles of sustainable development and to the different aspects of socio-ecological transition. This sensitivity is still rooted in tradition, given that the overwhelming majority of the population prefers to eat evening "meals cooked at home" (86%) rather than reheated frozen food (12%) or "fast-food" (23%). It should not be confused, however, with the systematic refusal of technology as 70% of Abymians used a computer and the Internet within the last month. As everywhere, the uptake of these technologies is an inverse function of age. It is mostly the elderly who do not use computers or the Internet.

D - Qualitative Analysis The qualitative analysis concentrates on analysing the three axes calculated by correspondence analysis (CA) and profiles of classes calculated by an ascending hierarchical classification (AHC). The programme that we use allows you to graphically represent the answers with points - called characters - based on the individuals who gave them, and the individuals, based on the answers they gave. We use a simple graphical method where the proximity of two points shows their similarity: two close individuals have given similar answers; two close characters are owned by the same individuals. CA is useful because

individuals and characters are represented in the same factorial space, the centre represents the most common answers, and the axes are the directions that accumulate the most information in descending order.

Figure 1:

Figure 2: Factorial Space (cluster of points, origin and axes)

Anaconda also allows you to represent this space classes calculated using AHC. We can thus associate the group of individuals within one class and the profile of characters that are best represented in this class.

Classes and profiles

In the diagram above, axis 3 is not represented and the classes seem to be superimposed due to perspective because they are determined in a three dimensional space.

Although these techniques involve substantial analysis calculations, it is qualitative analysis since after quantitative analysis has sought to identify the average response profile, represented by the axis origin on the factorial graph, the qualitative analysis is more concerned with the people and groups that deviate from this average.

Axis 1 (horizontal on the graph) and 2 (vertical) represent

• firstly, social differences, the more affluent groups to the right, and the disadvantaged groups to the left on our diagram (graph)

• Age, with younger people at the top and the elderly at the bottom

• General satisfaction, comparing citizens who give negative opinions and who say they suffer from many problems, with those who have positive opinions and who say they do not have any problems.

While Abymians are in general fairly satisfied with the quality of life, axis 1 clearly shows the lack of social cohesion. Axis 2 illustrates the fact that the perception of quality of life evolves throughout the life, but of course, more modest groups have the worst quality of life and accumulate dissatisfaction and problems on axis 3. Curiously on axis 3 we not only find affluent groups giving positive opinions, but also young students and job seekers who believe, or hope, for a better future despite a youth unemployment rate that

exceeds 50%.

We have isolated six profiles among Abymians. Two classes (1 and 2) represent the more affluent Abymians (36% of the population). These are people who work, usually employed as managers or employees, but also artisans, shopkeepers and company owners. They receive the highest wages (above 1500 euros) and have the highest levels of household income (also above 1500 euros). These are logically people who own property such as a house or a car. They are older (40-59 years old), hold the highest qualifications, married with children, have a good level of social security and they consider themselves to be in good health. They consider their situation to be stable, are not looking for other employment and foresee no employment, housing or financial threats. They consider their quality of life to be good or very good and they do not have any housing, health or neighbourhood issues. However, they are willing to pay more for products that have greater health benefits. What distinguishes the two classes that is a very high proportion of employees in the first class, and higher satisfaction levels and more green behaviour patterns in the second.

Class 3 is composed mainly of low-wage employees (16%), workers in industry and construction, on short-term or part-time contracts or temporary workers, who have more than thirty minutes of travel and earn less than 1500 euros in wages. Aged from 30 to 49, holding a high school certificate, vocational training and certificates gained after leaving full time education, they feel they are employed below their qualifications, their working conditions are bad and their jobs are insecure. Many suffer from the lack of free time. These are the most numerous families, and have child care issues. They mention marital problems. Reconstituted families, with children alternating between parents, largely belong to this class. They live in various types of housing, complain about high rents, and live in flood prone areas. As for their surrounding environment, they suffer from noise pollution, and anti-social behaviour. They suffer from occupational illnesses. People who do not feel a sense of belonging to Les Abymes, and those who are dissatisfied with the municipal services belong to this group. They are more inclined to pay more for environmentally friendly products and are respectful of social rights.

The fourth class includes the unemployed (16%), with an income under 500 euros, derived partly from welfare benefits. They are afraid of losing their housing and feel insecure financially. They feel that their quality of life is poor, yet this is the class that has the strongest sense of belonging to Les Abymes. Single parent families belong to this group. Many live in social housing, are eligible for free health care, they accumulate problems including housing (non-compliance with seismic standards, lack of space, lighting, waterproofing, insulation, ventilation, electrical installation, sanitary equipment), the surrounding environment (noise level in the neighbourhood, non-compliance with regulations, odours, decay, filth, abandoned vehicles), health (no top-up health insurance, psychological problems, child health, alcoholism), and family (parent-child relationship) with learning difficulties at school. Those people dissatisfied with social services are in this group. Many say they do not use the recycling centre.

Class 5 comprises young people (18-29 years old) who are students and job seekers looking predominantly for salaried employment. A quarter receive unemployment benefit and half have no income. Three quarters live with their family. They are willing to work more than one hour from their home, but they do not have a vehicle and encounter difficulties in using the public transport they use every day. One in five is ready to move towns (this is the group where this phenomenon is the most marked)

Class 6 amalgamates pensioners (18%). Aged over 60, half of them live alone. Their pension provides an income of between 500 and 999 euros on average. More than half own of their home (and have finished paying for it). Many don't have any higher education and most people who mentioned difficulties can be found in this group. They mainly suffer from physical health problems, addiction and isolation. More than 80% have neither a computer (nor Internet of course, or a mobile phone).

E: A few recommendations in conclusion In conclusion, we have identified a few action areas, suggested by the analysis. We are deliberately staying at a general level since the analysis requires more in-depth work based on this first summary. This work is on-going with the Observatory of Les Abymes. Of course, these areas still need to be assessed and validated by the representative and participatory bodies.

The first trend flagged up in the qualitative analysis is a lack of social cohesion, which is then confirmed

by the classification. Therefore strengthening social cohesion stands out as the first objective.

Of course, the quantitative analysis also shows the importance of the economic dimension, since the main problem reported by far is the feeling of financial insecurity (53%). We also note that 35% do not have free time. The classification shows precisely how many classes of inhabitants in Les Abymes are marginalised, by not having access to work and therefore to income. But there are also wealthier classes, whose stable incomes could partially drive a process of endogenous development, in addition to the public funding of course, by helping to develop economic activities. If we want these to be ways of improving social cohesion, they should play a role in solving the problems reported by Abymians. We also think about the activities that contribute to environmental protection. While a significant proportion of citizens are aware of the issues relating to the environment, behavioural change remains partial. There is therefore potential at this level.

In addition, the different life stages in Les Abymes (being born in Les Abymes, moving to Les Abymes, living as a couple in Les Abymes, studying in Les Abymes, working in Abymes, etc. ) is confirmed as the baseline for assessing, thinking and improving the quality of life of Abymians, always from the principle of social cohesion.

The main problems evoke developmental dimensions for economic activities: transport, housing, health and social. 41% have difficulty accessing public transport and 26% mentioned problems with public transport.

20% of Abymians fear losing their housing, more than 30% live in homes, which do not comply with seismic (36 %) and/or anticyclone standards (30%). Housing problems related to the environment and are frequently mentioned.

Nearly a quarter mention a long-term health problem, 17% feel they have treatment needs and 14% are moderately or severely obese. 15% feel isolated.

"Green" jobs are an interesting area for development of low-skilled jobs in the housing sector (compliance, insulation, cleaning) and the environment (private and public open areas). However these sectors presuppose the development of vocational training because the new trades require a comprehensive approach, good coordination, better knowledge of the materials and equipment, etc. They also require a major effort to increase the attractiveness of these jobs, often spurned by the young.

Neighbourhood health professions, are expected to grow as the population ages. Although the population is generally younger than in France, this is no longer the case for those under 18. There are more 18-49 years, who will grow old and experience age-related health problems. Those related to a poor personal health practices, reflecting growing obesity epidemic, are higher among the lower income brackets. We must design medical community centres able to take effective measures to radically change habits and eating behaviours (cooking classes, community gardens). The strong bias towards traditional cooking (71%) and healthy food (57%) shows that this type of action could have positive results.

Social services must also be active in local communities, to build stronger mediation, create jobs, fight against isolation, for the older population of course, but also among younger groups (we are thinking of single mothers, young people excluded by the lack of resources or education).

The tram project is a step in the right direction for improved transportation, but it will certainly be necessary to evaluate and enhance its impact given the level of difficulties mentioned.

IV: Concluding remarks

Although we find traces of territorial observation as early as the first river empires, five thousand years ago, territorial observation on a local level is recent. Its challenges range from developing information technologies and communication, to instigating cooperative and participatory practices.

Local observation moves us from a thematic to a territorial principle. We are not simply talking about employment, health, housing ... but of a specific neighbourhood, or a specific area with in a town or spanning more than one town, with all of its strengths and weaknesses. This approach satisfies the needs of policy makers, in particular policies, which represent a territory with all its amenities and its risks.

It also proposes indicators and tools to coordinate stakeholder services, dialogue and cooperation. It

provides tools to monitor and evaluate the results of each stakeholder or person involved in a territorial project.

It is also a great participative tool. It is indispensable in creating territorial projects based on the needs mentioned by people in individual interviews, focus groups, participatory workshops, or surveys. The stakeholders may monitor the fulfilment of these needs, such as the evolution of the situation of each person, or conversely the impact on the territory. People can be involved in monitoring and evaluating their dynamic, their projects and of that of the territory.

Based on these foundations, territorial observation can provide transparent information for all, as well as the visibility of territorial projects within the community and outside. It also aims to influence the decision-making of the public authorities, businesses and individuals in the context of socio-ecological transition.

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