Media

The feeling of attachment to Greater Geneva varies with distance

Published:16.04.24 — Luca Pattaroni and Guillaume Drevon, from Urban Sociology Laboratory of EPFL, carried out research which shows that the feeling of attachment to the region is weaker in the French and Vaudois parts of Greater Geneva than in the Geneva part. They specify that we find similar dispersions in the Franco-Belgian cross-border agglomeration of Lille and in that of the Franco-Spanish Basque Country.

The secrets of road safety in the UK

Published:16.04.24 — Britain's roads are renowned among the safest in the world. What are the key factors behind this low accident rate? Tiphaine Robert, scientific collaborator at the Urban Sociology Laboratory, was on the TV5 Monde set to talk about it.

What are the current challenges in crowd management?

Published:16.04.24 — An example: the match between Liverpool and Real Madrid at the Stade de France in 2022. A chaotic organization which turned into a debacle. Pascal Viot, lecturer at the Urban Sociology Laboratory, explains in particular that we still lack tools to think about the crowd and manage it without necessarily adopting repressive action.

Young people should be able to travel for free in Geneva

Published:22.03.24 — The canton of Geneva could make local public transport free of charge. Interviewed by "La Tribune de Genève", Vincent Kaufmann, professor at the Urban Sociology Laboratory, believes that this will relieve students' budgets, but that the greatest potential for modal shift will be felt by young people already in employment, since they tend to own cars more than their student peers.

Weak cross-border ties

Published:22.03.24 — More than 100,000 cross-border commuters travel daily between France and Switzerland to work in the Geneva region. The Urban Sociology Laboratory has taken an interest in the ties that unite, or not, the inhabitants of these border regions.

Conflicting modes of transport

Published:14.03.24 — Competition between rail and road is becoming increasingly strong while debates take place in Bern around decisive investments. “Le Temps” addresses the subject and notably interviews Vincent Kaufmann, professor at EPFL and mobility specialist.

More and more people are taking public transport

Published:11.03.24 — In 2023, more than 126 million passengers used the transport system of the city of Lausanne. Analysis by Vincent Kaufmann, Head of the Urban Sociology Laboratory.

Life on the borders of Greater Geneva

Published:11.03.24 — The book "Sociétés frontalières", published by EPFL Press, is the result of a wide-ranging sociological study into the lives of people living near three European borders: Lille and its Belgian neighbors, the French-Spanish Basque country, and above all Greater Geneva. According to Alexis Gumy, one of the book's authors and a post-doctoral fellow at EPFL's Urban Sociology Laboratory, "the construction of transport infrastructures or one-off cultural initiatives, while supported by a majority of the population, do not give rise to a strong sense of cross-border belonging."

The Geneva auto show: should we still promote cars?

Published:27.02.24 — Tiphaine Robert, historian in the sociology of urban mobility at EPFL, takes part in the debate on the relevance today of having an event that glorifies the car. For the scientist, the car show, created 100 years ago, remains emblematic and a place of ritual where contacts are made, even if it has become a place of contestation since the 70s.

Carbon mobility

Published:20.02.24 — Widen highways to accommodate increased traffic or to generate more automobile traffic? For mobility scientists, like Vincent Kaufmann, director of the Urban Sociology Laboratory, the scenario of the second option is not in doubt.