The matrix system

The atlas aims to respond to the limitations of documentary thesauri, which do not allow for the treatment of transversality. In its construction, the atlas does not adopt a tree-like approach but a latticework approach, sorting out from the possible combinations, those that are relevant to the action (what are the right reference points?).

It is based on the intersection of two founding questions of CITEGO :

  • What does a territory consist of?
  • What is governance made of, i.e. how do relationships within a territory function and are managed?

In order to build the matrix, the fundamental dimensions from which relationships are created were therefore determined. These dimensions are the broad categories that account for what a territory (= its components) and governance (= the angles of approach) are.

Components (one color per component)

  • Society and Territory: A territory is the concrete living space of a society. This category is therefore concerned with social groups, demographics, etc.
  • Economy and territory: A territory organizes factors of production and is characterized by economic and commercial structures, land markets, employment pools, etc...
  • Territorial ecosystems: Societies and economies are part of their natural environment (air, water, soil, climate, biodiversity, etc.).
  • Equipment and networks : A territory is not just a surface area but a physical set of offices, housing, factories, collective equipment...
  • Cultural and intangible capital of territories : A territory has a specific history and culture which are the fruit of legacies inscribed in space but also in time (mode of cooperation, representations, organization of social groups...).
  • Organisation of space : A territory is the spatial dimension of a society which organises it into districts, public spaces, wastelands... and which is the subject of planning, development...
  • Flow : A territory is always dynamic since it is the place of material and immaterial relations (flow of people, raw materials, work, information, money...).
  • Institutions: A territory is a political space, seat of public and private institutions whose design, competences, assigned roles will be determining on its organization.
  • Relations between the territory and the world: A territory is in permanent relation with other territories, near or far, at higher or lower scales (organization of flows, generalized use of the same currency on different national territories...).

Angles of approach (one symbol per angle of approach)

  • Component elements: A global description of a territory from the description of the society to its social composition.
  • Types of territories : allows to characterize the multitude of territories and to describe their diversity (villages, metropolises, territories with a predominantly rural character, tourist cities, industrial cities...).
  • Dynamics of territories: this category is concerned with the movements of territories in cultural, demographic, economic, ecological terms, etc. under the influence of factors such as lifestyles or changes in technical systems.
  • Territorial actors: individuals and social groups that are both protagonists of governance and beneficiaries of public policies.
  • Governance areas: they include the policies implemented and their management (social, health, economic policies, etc.).
  • Governance means: this is the range of means available to local authorities (taxation, regulations, standards, planning, etc.).
  • Principles of governance: there are 5 of them - the legitimacy of the exercise of power; democracy and citizenship; the relevance of governance regimes; the partnership between actors and the capacity to manage relations; the articulation of levels of governance.