Claire Simonneau

Claire Simonneau serves as a Lecturer at Gustave Eiffel University and researcher at LATTS (Laboratoire Techniques, Territoires et Sociétés), focusing on urban development dynamics in the Global South with emphasis on land governance and housing rights.

Her educational trajectory includes:

• PhD from University of Montreal (2015) analyzing Benin's land dynamics and computerized municipal cadastre systems
• Postdoctoral research (2016-2021) at Université catholique de Louvain/UMR Géographie-cités on Land Commons for Housing

Research examines land transformations in West African urban corridors (Benin/Dakar), regulatory mechanisms, and social mobilizations for housing rights through alternative models like housing cooperatives and Community Land Trusts. She investigates non-speculative land use principles for precarious populations and international circulation of urban counter-models, combining empirical fieldwork with comparative analysis of development aid interventions.

Dr. Simonneau operates within LATTS—a joint research unit of Gustave Eiffel University, École des Ponts ParisTech, and CNRS—based at Cité Descartes campus in Champs-sur-Marne, France.