Systemic Approach and Modelling of the Socio-Spatial Segregation Phenomenon of Cities in the East of France. Kawtar NAJIB, Karima ASKASSAY

Abstract

Territorial sustainable development must be regarded as a mutual enrichment of participatory research-action activity, which improves the utility and the accessibility of territorial knowledge and conventional research, which guarantees quality in the long-term. Territorial intelligence, which integrates the concepts of locality, knowledge based society and sustainable development is strongly orientated towards action: its ambition is to respect the ethical principles of territorial sustainable development which are participation, global and balanced approach to territories and partnership. The idea is to improve a territory by increasing the connection between research and action and between scientific rigour and the participation of actors and citizens. The complementarity of the participatory approach and individualized approach, the added value of the contribution of communities to the quality of scientific research and the interdisciplinary character of territorial sciences will emerge from this paper. Our research looks into the functioning of cities in the east of France, which have always experienced territorial, social, economic and demographic inequalities and disparities in terms of housing and residential migration, and wheter this functioning has led to socio-spatial segregation. Indeed, this phenomenon is reinforced by the departure of wealthy families to more pleasant districts, the fact that certain families remain by choice or obligation, and the arrival of new families in difficulty. This dynamic explains an urban dysfunction of French cities and a heterogeneous spatial pattern.

Cite this article

NAJIB K., ASKASSAY K., 2008. Systemic Approach and Modelling of the Socio-Spatial Segregation Phenomenon of Cities in the East of France. In International Conference of Territorial Intelligence, Huelva 2007. Papers on territorial intelligence and governance, participative action-research and territorial development, Observatorio Local de Empleo, Huelva, 2008, p. 413-429. <URL: http://www.territorial-intelligence.eu/index.php/huelva07/Najib>