Contenu du sommaire : Mutations économiques et requalifications territoriales

Peri-urban extensions, transformations of derelict lands, renewal operations on old social (or not) housing formed altogether alternative solutions in terms of territorial requalification in this period of economic change. Finally, these dynamics lead to increase the social and economic differences of the urban space.

Peri-urbanisation is an essentially conflictual process, leading to territorial change. A number of diverse elements form part of this reconstruction process, originating from outside the rural world and unfamiliar to it. Périurbanisation is the result of the whole range of social and economic forces which underpin the urban system. This research is based on examples taken from the area surrounding Lyon, at some distance from the city centre : the rural zones of the Dombes and the Monts du Lyonnais, and the urban area of Rive de Gier.

Industrial wastelands are frequently viewed as an exclusively economic problem. However, ideas on this subject as well as the manner in which such areas are reclaimed show that this is also an economic and cultural issue. As a result the question of redeveloping industrial areas is now at the centre of a major change which is currently taking place : cities with their specific amenities represent a fundamental feature of economic activity.

This article aims to show that the rehabilitation of industrial wasteland cannot only be analysed on the basis of land and housing variables. Such information only offers a framework of opportunities which, within the context of property developer's strategies, render a project feasible. The area of Fauriel at St-Etienne provides a perfect illustration of this principle. The large-scale of the project, requiring a major developer, does not in itself ensure success ; the outcome remains uncertain due to the lack of a true development which integrates local initiatives.

The study of rehabilitation in three slum districts of Lyon shows a close relationship between local policies and national directives formulated in 1977. A preference has however been shown for the most affluent areas of the city and account has been taken of the development of the metro system. The government's policy of improving the standard of comfort in homes means that these dwellings are no longer regulated by the 1948 Law which had controlled rents. This housing sector therefore depends increasingly on the open market, creating certain problems for those people on low incomes.

Over the last thirty years the town of St-Etienne has been involved in the joint process of economic conversion and urban renewal. Despite three changes in the composition of the town council, the final objective has remained unchanged : to erase the image of an outworn industrial region which still characterises the town. As in many other regional centres, this policy has been based on attracting high-tech activities and the creation of research parks and high-level services. Nevertheless, such a strategy is characterised by a number of specific local features and the retention of local traditions, as well as by the desire to emphasize St-Etienne's differences with respect to other urban centres in the Rhône-Alpes region.