Interview with Hafida Boulekbache – DeVisu: When Design Meets Urban and Social Innovation

Question: What are DeVisu’s main areas of research?

Hafida: Our research is structured around four complementary themes related to design. In particular, they focus on the process of transforming an idea into a concrete reality, incorporating the uses, practices, and meanings conveyed by users

• Architectural and Urban Design: This team, composed of architects and engineers, studies the city as a communication system. It analyzes architectural signs, urban traces, and their interoperability (the ability of systems and hardware to operate together), as well as the integration of screens and sensors into public spaces.
• Audiovisual and Digital Media: Researchers are rethinking audiovisual creation in the digital age, with work on document engineering, new forms of expression, museum mediation, and the promotion of cultural heritage through digital technology.
• The Transformation of Information: This theme explores the ethics and credibility of information, particularly in the face of fake news. A variety of approaches are used, such as immersive systems and augmented reality, to study the production, circulation, and reception of information.
• Sports, Wellness, and Health: This team studies the impact of digital technologies on sports learning and practices, with a particular focus on the inclusion of people with disabilities.

Our strength? These research areas do not operate in silos. We work on a project basis, with flexible teams where each researcher can contribute to multiple research themes based on their expertise.

Question: Can you tell us about a recent project that illustrates DeVisu’s work well?

Hafida: I would mention Euro-Tell Urb-IA (Resilient Urban Planning and Well-Being through Intelligence and Accessibility). In this project, we’re collaborating with several partners, both academic—such as the Catholic University of Lille, Junia, and the University of Mons in Belgium—and from the socio-professional sector, such as the CITC (Center for Innovation in Contactless Technologies).

The challenge? Reconciling two often-parallel trends: Faced with two major transformations in our societies—an aging population and the increasing digitization of regions—our research aims to design more inclusive urban spaces. It focuses on ways to ensure the full participation of older adults and people with disabilities in increasingly connected cities, by addressing the challenges of aging and the digital transition.

This project also allows us to fund two doctoral dissertations and a postdoctoral fellowship, which is a wonderful opportunity for the department.

Question: Who are your partners, and what kinds of projects do you work on?

Hafida: We collaborate with a wide variety of organizations:

• Companies such as CITC (for digital aspects, particularly sensor design) or Ville/Internet (to test our devices in the field).
• Institutions such as the Union sociale du logement. For example, in the Saperlo project, we developed an evaluation protocol incorporating both technical and behavioral criteria to improve the management of energy-efficient and sustainable renovation of public housing, particularly workers’ housing.
• French and European research laboratories, notably in Belgium (University of Mons) and in France (Paragraphe Laboratory, Paris 8).

Another notable project is Interreg RHS (Réseau Hainaut Solidaire), which aimed to strengthen social cohesion and civic participation in neighborhoods facing social vulnerability. We developed collaborative tools and participatory approaches to enable residents themselves to better observe and understand local realities.

Question: What have been DeVisu’s most notable achievements in recent years?

Hafida : We are proud of several accomplishments:

• Collective works:

1. “Adaptive Design of Resilience for Smart Communities and Sustainable Territories” (2025, co-edited with CRISS).
2. “Toward a School of Thought on the Trace,” which inspired the launch of a multidisciplinary journal on this concept.

• A technological innovation: Betafoot, a cognitive simulator for sports training, co-developed with LAMIH.
• Fruitful collaborations with partners in Canada and Brazil that have made it possible to both expand the network working on journalistic communication and submit several research proposals, including one to the ANR
• Funding: Several doctoral dissertations and postdoctoral positions secured through Interreg projects (e.g., with Leuven).

Question: What are DeVisu’s challenges and future projects?

Hafida: Our priority remains a collective spirit. We aim to:

• Continue developing collaborative projects with our academic, institutional, and socio-economic partners to strengthen our regional presence;
• Strengthen the links between research, technology, and society, in line with the UPHF’s strategic priorities: smart cities, health, and creative industries;
• Expand the international reach of our work and collaborations.

Outlook: We intend to consolidate our position at the intersection of design, digital technology, and the humanities by developing new research projects that address major societal transitions. Drawing on the UPHF’s strategic hubs, we will continue our work on smart and inclusive regions, the evolution of information and media practices, accessibility in the fields of sports, health, and disability, as well as new forms of writing and audiovisual mediation. DeVisu’s ambition is to generate knowledge and innovations capable of supporting the transformations taking place in regions, organizations, and social practices.