Contenu du sommaire : Université - Centralité et pratiques urbaines

This paper presents the main methodological orientations of a multidisciplinary research project on the impact of a new university site in Lyon : La Manufacture des Tabacs. On the basis of the hypotheses formulated, it explains in particular how a large-scale questionnaire was organised from which an important data base was built about student life in Lyon.

The transformation of an old industrial building into a new university site, inducing urban centrality, implies a multiform change which is reflected in the area's demographic dynamics. In particular these dynamics show evidence of spatial differentiation, chronological shift and new socio-spatial strategies which are at work. The arrival of a new university may be considered as an accelerator of change and of the reduction in socio-spatial disparities.

The diverse character of the urban morphology of the 'Manufacture' district indicates its progressive integration into the central area of the city. Industrial activity and social interaction have declined in favour of residential development and tertiary activities. The opening of a university has occurred in the context of a processs of change which was already underway. Such a situation raises questions about the capacity of this new activity to create a new university quartier on the edge of the city centre or even an urban district integrating the university.

Retailing activity in the district of 'la Manufacture' is organised in a conventional manner in a series of hierarchical and specialised nodes. The period 1987-92 is characterised by a limited but significant spatial development. Changes in retail composition are more important, reflecting the interplay of competition and changing consumption patterns. Modifications to the property market have accelerated these trends. Impacts resulting from the development of a new university in the district will be limited to the area immediately surrounding the site.

The way in which students use their time is conditioned by the University's timetable. They spend much of their time at home where they study, eat and entertain their friends. They go out mainly for routine shopping, visiting all types of shop and all districts of the city. The 'peninsula', the central area of Lyon, is visited by few students (13% of the total) and only for exceptional purchases and for occasional visits to the cinema, cafés or restaurants. During the week, they rarely go out in the evening, but for them the weekend is a time devoted to family and friends and to developing a network of social relations. They go out on Saturday evenings and Sundays, mostly to places outside the University town.

The trip patterns of Lyon's students, who were surveyed in 1992, are not very different from those observed in 1986. They are characterised by a high level of use of public transport (twice as high as for the total population) and by a large number of movements on foot. Nearly 40% of students have access to a car, but few use it to go to the university, apparently reserving the car for leisure activities. During the week journeys are made in three ways, each of approximately equal importance : by car, by public transport, by walking. On Sundays a third of students do not leave their houses. The others use the car to go out, either as the driver or a passenger. Such behaviour is well-known : public transport is used for compulsory trips and the car for leisure and recreational activities.

Most students of the Jean Moulin-Lyon 3 University come from other departments of the Rhône-Alpes region. With respect to their social origin and their parents' educative strategies, we examine why and how they come to Lyon and the conditions in which they live in this city