Alessandra Miglio

Born in Rome in 1997, Alessandra Miglio studied at ENSA-Marseille, graduating in June 2023 with a Diplôme d'État d'Architecte (state diploma in architecture), specialising in research, with a dissertation on the collective livelihoods of farmers in the former zad (defence zone) at Notre-Dame-des-Landes. Thanks to the links she forged with a number of players in the agricultural and planning sectors during her fieldwork, she became aware of the difficulties French farmers face in accessing housing. This was the starting point for her thesis project.

During the year of exploratory work devoted to finding doctoral funding, Alessandra presented her Master's work to French and international scientific communities at two research conferences. She gave her first paper in May 2024 at EAV&T Paris-Est as part of the 'Catalyser des mondes, vers un approfondissement des territoires par l'agriculture' conference organised by the Perspectives Rurales network (ERPS), entitled 'Construire l'autonomie depuis un territoire conflictuel'. A second paper, in English, was given the following month in Brussels as part of the 'Building Movement, Achieving Transformation' conference organised by the European AESOP Sustainable Food Planning network. These experiences have led Alessandra to forge links with other researchers working in France and abroad on agricultural and spatial planning issues, which is already enriching her research horizons.
After obtaining a doctoral contract funded by ADEME, she began work on her thesis in October 2024, entitled L'habitat paysan à l'épreuve des transitions. An investigation into the current issues surrounding agricultural housing, an unthinkable combination of agri-food reterritorialisation and sober land use. For Alessandra, the doctorate represents, on the one hand, an opportunity to delve deeper intellectually and critically than ever before into the complex phenomena underway in peri-urban and rural areas. On the other hand, his thesis aims to address the current issues surrounding peasant housing from an operational perspective, with the aim of applying the knowledge gained to public action.

His research is being conducted in conjunction with many of the players involved in the farm housing experiments studied (architectural agencies, associations, professional networks, local authorities, social landlords, etc.). It is also part of a vast cooperation network working at national level to develop solutions to the problem of housing for the transfer of farms, and more broadly for food justice and the preservation of farmland in the face of the threats posed by soil artificialisation and the concentration of land in the hands of the agro-industrial complex.