Jean-Claude Bolay
Professor Emeritus
jean-claude.bolay@epfl.ch https://www.jean-claude-bolay-consultant.ch/
Citizenship: swiss
Fields of expertise
Scientific cooperation with the Global South
Evaluation and monitoring of development projects and programs, evaluation of scientific policies
Urban planning and governance, rehabilitation of slums, social participation, institutional partnership
Management of bilateral scientific cooperation programs.
Evaluation and monitoring of development projects and programs, evaluation of scientific policies
Urban planning and governance, rehabilitation of slums, social participation, institutional partnership
Management of bilateral scientific cooperation programs.
Mission
Over the past 25 years, I have carried out numerous assessments, individually and in teams of experts, for the benefit of various public, private and academic partners. In this regard, we can cite: evaluation of multi-annual programs of scientific projects in the South for Belgian French-speaking universities as well as for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, member of pools of experts for university international Erasmus projets and urban projects funded by EU , definition of scientific criteria for future partner countries in Latin America for the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation in Switzerland, evaluation of development projects for NGOs and local authorities.Scientific development cooperation has been a top priority for decades in EPFL. And will continue.
From 2002 to 2019, the EPFL Presidency created a specific structure, the Center for Cooperation and Development, which I led with more than 20 employees. The center has breathed new life into North South relations. We have led many projects and programs aimed at the co-creation of appropriate technologies for the benefit of sustainable development in the South
https://archiveweb.epfl.ch/cooperation.epfl.ch/
In addition, from 2007 to 2019, I was director of the UNESCO Chair "Technologies for Development", endowed with 4 priority thematic lines promoting interdisciplinary research and international partnership:
Technologies for sustainable development of housing and cities
Information and communications technologies for development
Science and technology for disaster risk reduction
Technologies for access to renewable energy
https://archiveweb.epfl.ch/cooperation.epfl.ch/chaireUnesco.html
Biography
Since January 2020, Jean-Claude Bolay works as consultant, specialized in urban development in Southern countries and in scientific and academic international cooperation.Previously he was Director of the Cooperation & Development Center of EPFL (CODEV) and Professor at the Faculty of Natural, Architectural and Built Environment (ENAC). By training he is sociologist (bachelor) and political scientist (PhD from the University of Lausanne, Prize of the University of Lausanne). To reach his grade, he was awarded a scholarship from the Swiss National Foundation of Science and worked during 2 years in the postgrade Colegio de Mexico, in Mexico City (1982-83) and therefore in the Center for Latin American Studies of the UC Berkeley University, California (1984). From 1986 till 1989 he has been working as senior staff of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in the frame of a slum’ upgrading project of the World Bank and Cameroun Government in Duala, Cameroun. He was contracted by the EPFL in the frame of urban research projects in developing countries, becoming quickly the leader of several projects focused on urban upgrading actions, urban planning, social participation, urban environmental issues and governance in much diversified contexts as Burkina Faso, Bolivia, Argentina, Cuba, Ecuador, Vietnam, to cite some of them. He teaches at the master level in the Architecture section since 1995. In 2001 he was named by the President of the EPFL as responsible of the cooperation with emerging and developing countries’ partners, and therefore in 2005 as professor. He is presently leading a team of 25 scientific and administrative collaborators. He published more than 60 articles and edit several books on urban issues in developing countries as on development and scientific cooperation. He is also Director of the UNESCO Chair “Technologies for Development” and has organized 5 International Conference of the Chair focused on the links between research and operational implementation of development’ projects.
https://www.mycloud.swisscom.ch/s/S00D9A9B2395F521E74EA94D2341E0A59719C7D75EB
Research
Recent publications
Some recent publications on the urban development in Southern countriesBolay Jean-Claude (2020). Urban planning against poverty: How to think and do better cities in the Global South. Future City series. Cham: Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-28419-0
Bolay, Jean-Claude (2018). Planning the Intermediate City, or How to Do Better with Little: The Case of the City of Nueve de Julio, Argentina. Current Urban Studies, Vol. 6 N° 3, pp. 366-400. DOI: 10.4236/cus.2018.63020
Bolay Jean-Claude (2017). Urban Planning in Developing World: Which Alternative for Poor Cities? In Roberto Alvarez, ed. Green Energy and Technology. Springer, Paris, Heidelberg, New York, Dordrecht, London
Bolay Jean-Claude, Chenal Jérôme, Pedrazzini Yves, Cvetinovic Marija (2016) Learning from the slums: the habitat of the urban poor in the making of emerging cities. Springer: Paris, Heidelberg, New York, Dordrecht, London. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-31794-6
Bolay, Jean-Claude (2016). Prosperity and Social Inequalities: Montes Claros, How to Plan an Intermediary City in Brazil. Current Urban Studies, 4, 2, 175-194. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/cus.2016.42013
Bolay, Jean-Claude (2015). Urban Planning in Africa : Which Alternative for Poor Cities ? The case of Koudougou in Burkina Faso. Current Urban Studies, vol. 3, num. 4, p. 413-431. doi:10.4236/cus.2015.34033.
Bolay Jean-Claude (2012). What sustainable development for the cities of the South? Urban issues for a third millennium. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development.http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19463138.2011.626170
Bolay Jean-Claude; Kern Abigaïl (2011). Technology and urban issues: What type of development is appropriate for cities of the South? Journal of Urban Technology, 2011 Volume 18, issue 3, pp 25-43 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10630732.2011.615563
Some recent publications on cooperation and sustainable development
Tejada Gabriela, Crasco Marina, Ranquet Bouleau Clémence, Bolay Jean-Claude, Hostettler Silvia (2019). Testing Analytical Frameworks in Transdisciplinary Research for Sustainable Development. Sustainability 2019, 11(16), 4343; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11164343
Silvia Hostettler, Samira Najih Besson, Jean-Claude Bolay, ed. (2018). Technologies for Development. From innovation to social impact. Springer & UNESCO, Paris, Heidelberg, New York, Dordrecht, London.
Silvia Hostettler, Eileen Hazboun, Jean-Claude Bolay, ed. (2015). Technologies for Development. What is Essential? Springer & UNESCO, Paris, Heidelberg, New York, Dordrecht, London.
Bolay Jean-Claude, Silvia Hostettler and Eileen Hazboun (2014). Technologies for Sustainable Development. A Way to Reduce Poverty. Ed. Springer & UNESCO, Paris, Heidelberg, New York, Dordrecht, London.
Silvia Hostettler, Jean-Claude Bolay (2014).“Technologies & Partnerships” in Jean-Claude Bolay, Silvia Hostettler, Eileen Hazboun, ed “ Technologies for Sustainable Development, a way to reduce poverty?, Springer : Paris, Heidelberg, New York, Dordrecht, London.
Jean-Claude Bolay (2012). “Appropriate Technologies for Sustainable Development” in Jean-Claude Bolay, Magali Schmid, Gabriela Tejada, Eileen Hazboun, ed, « Technologies and Innovations for Development. Scientific Cooperation for a Sustainable Future ». Springer & UNESCO, Paris, Heidelberg, New York, Dordrecht, London.
Jean-Claude Bolay & Benjamin Michelon. Collaboration de Benjamin Andriamihaja, Michaële Groshans, Giv Mesgarzadeh, Ansoumana Sane, Abdou Ramani Traore (2011). Evaluation du programme “Coopération pour la recherche universitaire et scientifique » CORUS 1 (2001-2008), Evaluation of the « CORUS » programme of academic and scientific research cooperation, CORUS 1 (2001-2008) ; Synthèse du rapport. Evaluation 2011 N° 115. Paris : MAEE. (www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/IMG/pdf/115_Corus_BAT_BD.pdf