Les controverses des expérimentations urbaines à l’épreuve de l’habitat

This article examines the responses elicited by experiments addressing complex issues in housing. It explores how such experiments are implemented and their ability to facilitate or hinder dialogue beyond their initiators, decision-makers, and urban and real estate development professionals. The first theoretical part looks at the various definitions and typologies of urban experimentation, which reveal seemingly contradictory aspects regarding their implementation, resulting in an analytical grid. We then apply this grid to three housing development projects: two experiments on the energy transition and the third on metropolitan hospitality. This enables us to observe how these experiments are positioned between contradictory dynamics regarding their implementation, objectives and the actors involved. Our findings indicate that, while the creation of support and the enrollment of new participants are the most sought-after tools for addressing dissent in the cases studied, the processes for forming alliances diverge. Our perspective finally helps us understand the specific features of experiments conducted in housing projects that also aim to transform living practices.