1. 9th ENTI Conference Strasbourg 2010
STLOCUS Method
Defining Places through
Territorial Intelligence
a project of Kennedy University of Argentina
BOZZANO, Horacio
Ph.D. in Geography, Land Use Planning and Urbanism, U. Paris III
horacio.bozzano@presi.unlp.edu.ar +54 (221) 4212430 / 4225690
Full Professor at UNLP [National University of La Plata], Researcher at CONICET [Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y
Técnicas/ National Scientific and Technological Research Council], Argentina. Researcher at UAJFK [Universidad Argentina J. F. Kennedy]
RESA, Sergio
Architect, UNLP
resasergio@gmail.com +54 (221) – 4527561
Professor and Researcher at UAJFK [Universidad Argentina J. F. Kennedy]
Members of the TAG Team [Territorios, Actores, Gobernanza/ Territories, Actors, Governance], Lugar Innova, UNLP
Av.7 n° 776 – 1900 La Plata, Argentina

2. 9th ENTI Conference Strasbourg 2010
STLOCUS
an innovative method to define
micro-spaces adapted to local action
une méthode innovante pour définir des micro-espaces
adaptés à l’action locale
un método innovador para definir micro-espacios
adaptados a la acción local
Horacio BOZZANO and Sergio RESA
a project of Kennedy University of Argentina

3. Stlocus is the old Latin term
for “where somebody or something is placed”
Sthalam, old india
Locus in Latin means place: whereas the
first one relates to addresses, the second one
refers to the home.
It is this sense of belonging, of articulation
between something and somebody, what
made us favor of this name for the method.

4. some general perspectives
a- replicability of criteria in other places, while
keeping the theoretical-methodological
assumptions;
b- theoretical reflections related to the
concept of place and similar ideas;
c- usefulness of the operational concept of
“place” in diverse objects of intervention
d- meaning of the concept of place in matters
related to territorial understanding,
intelligence and development.

5. Considering there exist millions of places
and thousands of millions of perceptions and
thoughts about them, how can we establish
a method to define places?
We present a proposal oriented towards the definition of
places according to five moments or instances.
This line of research started in 1984 at the National University
of La Plata and the CONICET, it continued in the last two
years as part of a Research Project at the John Kennedy
Argentine University.
It is currently part of the Territoriesnet 2010-2015 PICTe 2
and 3 Scientific Research Program for “Territory and
Territorial Intelligence: Theoretical Concepts and Methods”

6. The place is understood a priori as a
pattern of territorial occupation and
appropriation in the micro and meso
scales: centers, neighborhoods,
farming communities, urban interstices,
industrial parks, degraded and
protected spaces, among others.

7. It seeks to contribute territorial understanding that incorporates
territorial intelligence and development:
we believe that, once the places for each project have been defined,
diverse relationships may be found—direct as well as indirect—
applicable to a large scope of objects of intervention;
such as projects, programs, and diverse plans and policies:
• urban and territorial zoning plans
• impact assessments
• general or sectoral strategic plans
• policies for jurisdictional changes
• geographic information systems
• territorial attractivity
• identification of strategic interventions
• public intervention programs
• public-private intervention programs
among others.

8. hypothesis
“Conceptually defining the place as accurately
as possible in terms of an object of study
provides valid contributions,
which can be applied while using the notion of place,
in a second instance, together with some other
concepts such as policy, program, management,
strategic intervention, territorial intelligence,
territorial development, local development,
institutional development, planning and zoning
in real objects of intervention.”

9. STLOCUS Method
five moments
1st) territorialities and territories
2nd) vocations and “pre-places”
3rd) rationalities, processes, trends and actors
4th) mapping of places
5th) synthesis matrix:
"places, concepts and variables."
In each moment we specify what is understood
by each operational concept and record the techniques used,
in relation to sources as well as to procedures.

10. First stage:
Territorialities and territories.
We start investigating in a preliminary
way four territorialities:
urban, peri-urban, rural and natural.
These territorialities are subject to a
preliminary spatialization in a map of
the administrative area or territory
under study.

11. Second stage:
Vocations and “pre-places.”
Vocations are studied
-central, residential, industrial, agricultural and other-
to preliminary spatialize them in the micro scale;
that allows us to create a map of "pre-places",
this is, the preliminary definition of places
in terms of territorial occupation
and appropriation patterns,
identifying nuances
and variations for each vocation.

13. Third stage:
Rationalities, processes, trends and actors.
We investigate rationalities, processes,
trends and actors that exist in each
“pre-place” or preliminary place;
a provisional record is prepared
—like a matrix for impact assessments—
with information about the presence and
meaning of each concept and variable in
three levels: important, secondary and
irrelevant or absent.

14. Fourth stage:
Mapping of places.
Building on the mapping of those “pre-places”
and incorporating the analysis of rationalities,
processes, trends and actors,
we create the final mapping of places,
defining each place by its most prominent
characteristic in the most simple,
fuller and exact possible way.
In this stage we take care of the final
adjustments, when required,
with experts aware of the local reality.

15. Fifth stage:
Synthesis matrix
A matrix is built where we synthesize all places
on one axis and all concepts and variables on the
other, specifying and adjusting the preliminary
record created during the third stage and related
to the presence and meaning of each concept and
each variable in three levels: important, secondary
and irrelevant or absent.
This matrix is interpretive of the research process
conducted; it contributes elements to define the
operational concept of each place, recognizing its
most prominent characteristics.

23. It is worth mentioning the importance of
GIS tools and all the information
available on the Internet that enable us
to process the data to generate new
information.

24. some general perspectives
a- replicability of criteria in other places, while
keeping the theoretical-methodological
assumptions;
b- theoretical reflections related to the
concept of place and similar ideas;
c- usefulness of the operational concept of
“place” in diverse objects of intervention
d- meaning of the concept of place in matters
related to territorial understanding,
intelligence and development.