The research activities under the main theme Territories deal with the relationship between space and society. They are concerned with the development and governance of territories, including both densely populated urban areas and rural and remote regions. The projects carried out under this theme cover various dimensions, including municipal affairs, regional development, infrastructure and transport.

The human occupation of territories is the result of private and public investment, the deployment of infrastructure, and the creation or location or relocation of jobs. This reality is often studied through regional or sectoral analyses. The movement of goods and people between territories is associated with transport and mobility. Territorial public policies also involve several levels of government, from the municipal to the national level, which multiplies the possibilities for research partnerships.

The Territories theme's research programming is based on structuring questions aimed at improving the economic competitiveness of territories, strengthening the development and attractiveness of territories through public policies, management, financing and governance, and services or infrastructures that could promote the sustainable development of cities and regions.

Several studies also deal with local governance, whether it is the financing of municipal services through fees or the financing of the new school service centres in Quebec.