Contenu du sommaire : Recomposition du système d'acteurs en région stéphanoise

At the beginning of the seventies, the factories of the Ondaine valley and Saint-Chamond constituted two large complex units bequeathed by a century of steelworking history. The period of the C.A.F.L. corresponded with a transition towards modernity which associated factories and local surroundings. The constitution of Creusot-Loire led to a breakdown in this partnership which resulted in a restructuring of the sites and the introduction of actors unaware of local industrial tradition. After the departure of Creusot-Loire, the two sites are at the centre of strategies which are elaborated with no regard for local interests. The dismantling of the sites was more extensive in the Ondaine valley than in Saint-Chamond. It was accompanied by a disintegration of local identity and a transformation of local government practices which were also confronted with planning problems raised by desindustrialization.

Today, the Houillères du bassin de Centre-Midi, which inherited the mining companies of the Loire ; basin, paradoxically, represents . a new actor in the St Etienne region. Not only has the company had to deal with the ending of mining, and the related consequences, but also with the sociospatial conversion of the management of the workforce. This new situation corresponds with a change . in the company's role and strategies. Its withdrawal from the mining region has manifested itself by the loss of a special identity for this area, as seen in the attempts to rationalise the management of their residential property which, formerly, was entirely related to the demands of production.

Due to financial constraints, the town of Saint-Etienne, like many other local authorities, has been unable to avoid a rationalisation of its activities. A continuous process of restructuring of urban public services, linked to a change of local government, characterises the transition from a system of municipal management to one of entrepreneurial management. Such management, which is project-based, represents a major break in terms of partnerships, operational methods and preferred cities intevention.

Awareness of religious (islamic) and ethnic phenomena in migrational space is difficult as long as they represent, in the collective imagination, negative images and secular prejudices. The field of social and cultural geography allows the analysis of the process of territorialisation of cultural activities, as well as reintroducing or rehabilitating the concept of ethnicity which was the focus of ethnogeographical research during the first half of the 20th century. By favouring the diachronic diversity of cultural spaces and practices of North Africans, and by insisting on the plurality of the actors involved, a better understanding of the presence of islam at Saint-Etienne will be achieved.

Over the last ten years, the centre d'amélioration du logement - de la Loire, a housing charity created in 1953, has been able to establish itself in the field of urban development while remaining - faithful to its original social role. Today it represents a key actor in the application of government housing policy. Its professional skills are recognised by both the D.D.E. and the agence d'urbanisme, as well as the urban and rural communes, making it an essential actor throughout the southern part of the Loire department.

The distribution of drinking water in the Saint-Etienne urban district was characterized for many years by the predominance of municipal authorities and the monopoly of Saint-Etienne in water distribution which did not however extend to the Ondaine valley. The decision taken by the Saint-Etienne city authorities to increase substantialy the price of water in 1990 and then to farm out the management of the water supply in 1992, has placed water at the heart of the political debate in the city and led to protests from the outlying towns. Since 1994, relations between the central urban district and outlying towns have improved, but the controversy over water distribution which had led to the appearance of new participants in the debate (S.I.CO.S., consumer associations, Stéphanoise des Eaux), is far from being settled.

The implementation of the economic development contract of the Ondaine area stands out as a turning point in the life of the municipalities and : the partners in the valley. This contract has acted as a catalyst for dialogue among the partners involved. Carrying out the actions which have been planned reveals the real roles of the actors, which take shape progressively as new actors appear, such as "the Ondaine Entrepreneurs "Club". This process of partnership and collaboration between local communes should continue within the framework of the overall development contract which is in preparation.

Local development policy in Quebec, which benefits from a rich historical, economic and cultural heritage, offers a good example of an appropriate spatial development strategy, in the face of current economic change.