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Stakeholders involved in the definition of managerial problems perceive and internalize the complexity of these problems as mental models. These models are not always made explicit, which can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts. This article presents Ulysse, a tool that enables stakeholders to progressively elicit their mental models as causal loop models. Ulysse uses web technologies that store information in a database and interactively display the modeling results. It is based on matrix calculation that facilitates statistical operations and provides better understanding of the model structure. Analysis and comparison of individual models reveal the most important variables and relationships among them as a basis for identifying key issues, divergent and convergent opinions between stakeholders. Ulysse has been tested in the context of regional economic development in Atlantic Canada. The tool was designed to support managers, during interviews, in building qualitative models of indicators. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Les premieres banlieues pavillonnaires nord-americaines sont problematiques pour le vieillissement a domicile. Malgre la dependance a l'automobile, les banlieusards âges aspirent a y vieillir. Plutot que de demenager, ils adaptent leur quotidien et leurs deplacements. L'acces a la mobilite est un enjeu majeur au maintien d'une experience residentielle positive, notamment pour les individus en perte d'autonomie. Or, parce qu’elle est etudiee avec le concept de deplacement, la mobilite des aines demeure mal comprise en tant qu’experience individuelle et collective. C’est dans cette optique que les pratiques et les significations de la mobilite quotidienne de 87 banlieusards âges de 55 a 82 ans de l'agglomeration de Quebec au Canada sont ici etudiees. En croisant des methodes quantitative et qualitative ainsi que des techniques d'analyses spatiales, l'article developpe une typologie de mobilite pour explorer les strategies d'adaptation des aines a leur environnement socio-spatial. Les resultats montrent que, sans veritablement entrer dans un processus de decision, les banlieusards choisissent implicitement de vieillir en banlieue en adaptant de maniere continue leurs modes de vie. La conservation de l'independance et l'attachement au «mode de vie banlieusard» sont a la source des aspirations residentielles. Cette mobilite quotidienne en transformation risque aussi d'influencer les trajectoires residentielles, alimentant les reflexions sur la requalification de ces milieux vieillissants. Daily mobility of aging and elderly suburbanites: trips, aspirations and meanings of mobility The post-War suburbs of North America are problematic for aging in place. Despite their high level of car dependency, elderly suburbanites would rather grow old at home. Rather than move, they make changes to their daily routines. Gaining access to mobility is a major issue for older people, particularly frail seniors, who wish to ensure that their residential experience remains positive. Given that the study of mobility draws on the concept of trip patterns, our understanding of the individual and collective experiences of elderly mobility is incomplete. In this light, this paper explores the practices and meanings of daily mobility for 87 elderly suburbanites aged from 55 to 82 years and currently residing in the greater Quebec City area, Canada. Combining both quantitative and qualitative methods as well as spatial analysis techniques in a single study, a typology of mobility is proposed in order to explore coping strategies developed by seniors in relation to their socio-spatial environment. The results show that, without truly engaging in a decision-making process, elderly suburbanites implicitly choose to age in place by adapting their lifestyle on an ongoing basis. Their housing aspirations are the result of a desire to maintain independence and an attachment to the ‘suburban way of life’. The changing mobility is thus likely to influence residential trajectories, giving food for thought to retrofitting suburbia.

How to reorganize the Swiss postal network? A case study of spatial decision making-support. This article presents a case study of spatial decision making-support in relation to the Swiss Post and its efforts to reorganize the postal network in eight Swiss cities. The first part of the article describes the methodology and highlights selected original elements used in the processing of geographic information (spatial analysis and multi-criteria analysis). The second part, more analytical, examines the process used to apply the method defined in the previous section. Based on a constructivist approach of decision-support, it explores the modes of interaction between available information and decision makers. The analysis shows that the decision maker is relatively difficult to identify since the decision making process includes a set of partial and dependent decisions that are taken by a diversity of people. In conclusion, geographic information played an important role, not only on the decision, but mainly in allowing decision makers to better understand spatial complexity Cette contribution presente une application de l'aide a la decision territoriale afin d'aider la Poste suisse a reorganiser son reseau postal dans huit villes de Suisse. Le texte comprend deux parties. La premiere decrit l'approche methodologique en mettant en lumiere certaines originalites dans les traitements realises pour valoriser l'information geographique (analyse spatiale et analyse multicritere). La seconde partie est plus reflexive et porte sur le processus qui a mis en œuvre la methode precedemment decrite. Elle explore, en s'inspirant notamment d'une approche constructiviste de l'aide a la decision, les modes d'interaction entre l'information mise a disposition et les acteurs du processus. Cette reflexion montre notamment que le decideur est en fait relativement difficile a identifier, puisque le processus decisionnel comprend un ensemble de decisions partielles et imbriquees qui sont prises par des acteurs differents. On observe en conclusion que l'information geographique a joue un role tres important, non seulement sur la decision, mais aussi ou surtout, en permettant aux acteurs de mieux comprendre la complexite territoriale.

In land management, conflicts are more frequent and stronger. Any important project on land becomes difficult to implement. MAGISTER (Multicriteria Analysis with GIS for TERritory) model proposes a decision support method to integrate multiple actors of land management. It is based on geographical information systems and multicriteria analysis. In land use problems, the study area is described by a set of homogeneous zones to reduce the numbers of alternatives. The homogeneity quality is assessed by use of a valued closeness relation developed in the domain of rough set theory. This function is based on the same principle as the valued outranking relation used in ELECTRE, which is then used to select the best zones, or classify them in predefined category. One application of the MAGISTER model concerns the realisation of a land suitability map for housing. Through eight criteria, this map integrates simultaneously the particularity of each place and the general principles of land management, which should be determined by decision-makers.