Marie-Fleur Albecker | Université d'artois (original) (raw)

Papers by Marie-Fleur Albecker

Les premieres couronnes de banlieue parisienne et new-yorkaises, anciens espaces industriels, son... more Les premieres couronnes de banlieue parisienne et new-yorkaises, anciens espaces industriels, sont le territoire privilegie de l’expansion spatiale de la centralite parisienne recomposee par la globalisation de l’economie. Les consequences spatiales de ces evolutions bouleversent les ordonnances et les hierarchies existantes au sein des agglomerations urbaines. Les premieres couronnes ont traverse une periode de desindustrialisation et des phenomenes de crise economique, sociale et urbaine. Mais depuis les annees 1980, elles sont confrontees a une recomposition economique du centre de l’agglomeration, qui les confronte aux consequences de la globalisation. Une typologie permet de distinguer differents types de choix. Certains espaces s’orientent resolument vers le tertiaire superieur et l’installation d’une population de cadres aises. A l’inverse, d’autres connaissent des evolutions economiques et sociales divergentes (integration economique, pauvrete des habitants). Enfin, d’autres...

Banlieues françaises, 2005-2015

La banlieue parisienne peut être analysée historiquement comme un simple mouvement de l’urbain du... more La banlieue parisienne peut être analysée historiquement comme un simple mouvement de l’urbain du centre vers ses périphéries ; cependant, ce débordement n’est pas uniforme et illustre une tension constante entre centralité et périphérie. La première couronne de banlieue parisienne est construite d’abord comme un espace exutoire d’activités dévoreuses d’espace – essentiellement industrielles – depuis le XIXe siècle mais aussi, après une période de crise, comme un espace d’entrée renouvelée pour les investissements qui font de l’agglomération parisienne une capitale de l’économie mondiale. Dans la nouvelle configuration spatiale créée par la globalisation qui renforce le rôle des centres, les premières couronnes de banlieue sont des espaces vulnérables, à la fois bien moins équipées que la ville-centre en infrastructures et aménités pour attirer les activités, et moins attractives que la grande banlieue ou le périurbain pour capter les migrations résidentielles. Néanmoins, leur localisation limitrophe du centre en fait un espace d’entre-deux qui devient stratégique en termes de développement urbain : en effet, la distance au centre est favorisée pour l’implantation de certaines activités tertiaires supérieures, notamment les activités de back office1 (Lee et Leigh, 2005). Ainsi, loin d’être seulement un espace de rejet, la première couronne de banlieue parisienne devient attractive pour les investissements – publics et privés – dans l’espace urbain, et ces investissements y opèrent des effets contradictoires.

"In the context of globalization, cities have come to the foreground and are now thought of as no... more "In the context of globalization, cities have come to the foreground and are now thought of as nodes in the global economic network. This evolution has had various consequences for urban regions, depending on whether one focuses on the centers or the peripheries. It has been beneficial to some areas, but detrimental to others. Urban territories are now experiencing various forms of growth and/or decline, whether demographic, economic, or social. This study aims to analyze the specific processes of decline and revitalization that have affected the cities, and to identify which part public policies have played in this respect.

In order to grasp the varieties of decline in these “first suburbs,” a typology based on socio-economic indicators has been elaborated, which differentiates between four types of evolution patterns for suburbs lying within urban areas faced with globalization. Some of those first suburbs have indeed managed to resist decline: one group uses globalization as a way to become part of the economic center and to attract wealthy households; the second group is confronted with simultaneous social decline and economic success; a third group consists of cities fulfilling a mainly residential function; and the last is made up of localities in transition between the above orientations.

This change of economic and social pattern can thus be seen as a revival, but its consequences are of particular note amidst a global crisis. The sustainability of such a revival must be questioned.

Keywords: Globalization – suburbs – Paris – decline – revitalization – crisis – public policies.
"

Talks by Marie-Fleur Albecker

In the core of Paris’ and New York’s metropolitan areas, former industrial, working-class spaces ... more In the core of Paris’ and New York’s metropolitan areas, former industrial, working-class spaces are being transformed into prime locations for high skilled business activities. Global Cities have dramatically changed for the past 30 years: their centres have regained economic power, and been gentrified; this revival has consequences on other metropolitan territories.

In particular, “peri-central spaces” faced a period of decline and are now confronted with the impacts of globalization. They developed around metropolises during their industrial development, and are now being restructured in connection with their specific spatial position neighbouring the center.

Some poles of excellence have gained from this restructuring, and are competing fiercely for investment. Others remain more residential, with diverging social evolutions. Finally, some territories in Paris’ first suburbs are destructured urban areas where the economic and social evolutions are diverging, when this type of development is absent in New York.

Urban policies had a key impact on the evolution of first suburbs, with the conjunction of local private and public strategies creating the conditions for the development of those spaces. This paper advances the hypothesis that the recent transformation of first-suburb territories depends on the local context as the result of long-term heritages, and on a combination of public policies and private-sector strategies. It will describe the forms of decline that these territories underwent; it will then analyze their recent recomposition and the role of the strategies implemented by local actors, be it in two very different contexts (France, USA).

Keywords: first suburbs, Paris, New York, deindustrialization, public policies, globalization

Within Global Cities’ territories, declining industrial, working-class spaces are being transform... more Within Global Cities’ territories, declining industrial, working-class spaces are being transformed into prime locations for high skilled business activities, around Paris or Manhattan. Global Cities have dramatically changed for the past 30 years: their centres have regained economic power, and often been gentrified; this revival has consequences on other metropolitan territories.

In particular, “peri-central spaces” faced a long period of decline and are now confronted with the impacts of globalization. They developed around metropolises during their first phase of expansion outside the city limits, and are now being restructured in connection with their specific spatial position in urban agglomerations.

Some poles of excellence have gained from this restructuring, and are competing fiercely for investment, in a pattern typical of contemporary global forms of competition. Others remain more residential, with diverging social evolutions. Finally, some territories in Paris’ first suburbs are destructured urban areas where the economic and social differentiation of spaces is growing more acute (economic booming, and pauperization of the population). However, this type of development is not to be observed in New York, particularly in the South Bronx, where the economic locations remain mainly industrial and the population poor.

Urban policies had a key impact on the evolution of first suburbs, with the conjunction of local private and public strategies creating the conditions for the development of those spaces. This paper advances the hypothesis that the recent transformation of declining first-suburb territories, and the form that transformation takes, depend on the local context - the specific socio-spatial configuration inherited from history - and on a combination of public policies and private-sector strategies. It will describe the forms of decline that these territories underwent; it will then analyze their recent recomposition and the role of the strategies implemented by local actors, be it in two very different contexts (France, USA).

Paris and its region, as a “Global City region”, has been subject to the challenges outlined by t... more Paris and its region, as a “Global City region”, has been subject to the challenges outlined by the “Global Cities” theories such as decline of the centre, rise of secondary centres, increased social and spatial inequalities. In this region, Paris’ border towns take up a specific place, in between the centre and its periphery. Facing manifestations of decline, they have tried to address them with specific strategies.

Both historical and geographical situation of these towns play a role in their evolution: Schematically, Paris used to dump polluting activities on its North-Eastern borders, which often became workers’ towns and hence functioned as an industrial and social periphery, while the West functioned as a wealthy residential zone. Many of these towns were then vulnerable to the industrial crisis of the 1970’s and knew a loss of jobs and inhabitants. However, the border towns of Paris, in the South and West – and more recently in the North – are now included in an economic reinforcement of the agglomeration “centre”.

Actually, the demographic, economic and social courses of these places are diverse. They seem to result from local effects (bound to the permanence of the original economic, urban and socio-spatial characteristics) but from local policies too. For example, some towns, in the West and South-West, have used Globalization as a spur to foster their economic and social development whereas others have privileged a social “entre-soi”. However, the old social fracture between the North-East and the South and West remains constant and a lot of towns, while knowing economic growth, must face the continuation of their social decline.

This shows that the revitalization process is complex and is subject to a various set of factors: proximity to Paris, transport connections, infrastructure, but also the place’s history and its socio-spatial configuration – the share of social housing being significant.

The idea that Paris’ border towns have suffered in the same way from Globalization as it is implied by the global cities theories is thus not verified. Local political choices do matter to bear up against decline. Towns can choose, even if they have constraints, how to face the effects of globalization and determine their own strategy. This raises the question of coordination among Paris’ border towns, between them and Paris and its broader region. Yet, there is currently no institutional structure for such coordination despite some projects now proceeding.

Depuis les années 1980 et la globalisation de l’économie, les métropoles se sont affirmées comme ... more Depuis les années 1980 et la globalisation de l’économie, les métropoles se sont affirmées comme les nœuds de l’archipel économique mondial (Veltz 2005, Sassen 2001). Les conséquences spatiales de ces évolutions bouleversent les ordonnances et les hiérarchies existantes au sein des agglomérations urbaines. A Paris, la centralité économique se recompose et s’étend hors des limites de la ville-centre (Halbert 2004). Ces recompositions touchent ainsi des villes de la première couronne de la banlieue parisienne, dont un certain nombre ont fait ou font toujours partie de la « ceinture rouge ».

La gestion communiste de ces villes, souvent durable (plus de 80 ans à Saint-Denis ou Ivry-sur-Seine) s’est fondée sur un mode de production (l’industrie lourde) et un type social (l’ouvrier qualifié) spécifiques, permettant une boucle vertueuse (Fourcaut 1986). La désindustrialisation massive qui s’installe dans les années 1970 avec la crise économique est à l’origine d’un marasme urbain local – chômage de masse, perte de population, de revenus locaux…

C’est dans ce contexte qu’émerge le nouveau modèle productif issu de la globalisation, qui concentre dans les « villes globales » (Sassen 2001) les activités du tertiaire supérieur. Ces villes emploient des salariés qualifiés et aisés tandis que le prolétariat urbain s’incarne dans les services à la personne peu qualifiés. Ce mouvement est difficile à intégrer dans la cosmogonie communiste. Comment, dans ce cadre, accepter le développement économique en y intégrant les populations paupérisées et les idéaux des communes communistes ? Cela suppose un changement de paradigme politique et urbain.

Les communes de la première couronne de la banlieue parisienne, incluses dans le mouvement de « débordement du centre » économique (Halbert 2004), sont directement confrontées aux choix de le favoriser et d’en donner ou non une interprétation sociale. Certaines communes (surtout au Sud-ouest de Paris) choisissent les activités de tertiaire supérieur et attirent une population de cadres aisés. Les villes communistes actuelles ont pour certaines d’entre elles un type d’intégration « en ciseau » et font le choix d’accueillir la globalisation en réfrénant les transformations sociales (Saint-Ouen, Saint-Denis, Fontenay-sous-Bois, Ivry-sur-Seine), et pour d’autres sont en transition et plus en retrait face à l’attitude à adopter (Gentilly, Malakoff, Bagnolet).

L’objectif de cette communication est d’identifier plus précisément les spécificités des orientations communistes par rapport à d’autres municipalités et leurs incidences sur le développement urbain. Trois communes seront comparées : Ivry-sur-Seine, bastion de la banlieue rouge, entre accueil du tertiaire et refus de la gentrification ; Issy-les-Moulineaux, ancienne ville ouvrière de gauche aujourd’hui ville de cadres et pôle tertiaire ; Pantin, conquise en 2001 aux communistes par le PS, commune en transition qui mène une politique oscillant entre gentrification émergente, accueil du tertiaire et maintien du patrimoine industriel.

Il semble que les évolutions de ces communes soient le fruit d’un subtil équilibre entre leurs héritages urbains et architecturaux (grands ensembles, infrastructures…), sociaux et l’action des pouvoirs publics. La marge de manœuvre des pouvoirs locaux existe : quelle est la spécificité des politiques locales communistes face au tourbillon de la métropolisation ?

The suburbs of large cities in industrialized countries - particularly inner-ring "first" suburbs... more The suburbs of large cities in industrialized countries - particularly inner-ring "first" suburbs - have changed dramatically in recent times. These territories, which developed around metropolises during their first phase of expansion outside the city limits, are now being radically restructured in connection with their specific spatial position in urban agglomerations. Declining industrial, working-class first suburbs are being transformed into prime locations for the metropolitan activities of the global city. In Paris, suburbs developed from the late nineteenth centuries, as a consequence of rapid, massive industrialization. In response to the saturation of central spaces, industrial activities developed on the periphery, which was increasingly well serviced by rail and where land was plentiful and cheap. As factories-particularly the most polluting and land-intensive - sprang up in the suburbs, a burgeoning working-class population moved there.

The restructuring of the former industrial suburbs, which started to occur in the 60's and accelerated in the 1980s, has profoundly altered the inner-ring suburbs of Paris. The post-Fordist transformation of local production systems and urban territories has accentuated territorial imbalances and polarized regional spaces. Some poles of excellence have gained from this restructuring. These are municipalities that started competing fiercely for investment several years ago, in a pattern typical of contemporary global forms of competition. Among the inner-ring suburbs south-west of Paris, Issy-les-Moulineaux has undergone a spectacular transformation in the past 15 years: once an industrial, working-class town in decline, it has become a dynamic showcase for a local mode of development based on international investment and the promotion of advanced sectors (Fol and Sabot, 2003; Albecker, 2008). By contrast, some territories in the former red belt are destructured urban areas where the economic and social differentiation of spaces is growing more acute. Saint-Denis and the neighboring suburbs north of Paris, for example, are experiencing a much more ambivalent evolution. Investment and economic activities are booming in the best locations, with some districts even undergoing gentrification, while other territories and their inhabitants are increasingly pauperized (Bacqué and Fol, 1997). The former workers' towns of the inner ring are thus caught between two diverging trends, where the best located sites are "recycled", transforming the local economy and social composition, and the least attractive spaces are devalued, leading to the concentration and isolation of the poorest populations.

The paper will analyse the transformation processes at work in the suburbs surrounding Paris through the examples of two towns adjoining the city, Saint-Denis and Issy-les-Moulineaux. It will first describe the impact of the deindustrialization of the inner ring on the two municipalities and the manifestations of the ensuing decline. It will then analyze the recent recomposition of the two towns in the context of globalization and the role of the strategies implemented by local actors. It will then examine the specific place of the inner suburbs in the Paris metropolis and the specific tensions and contradictions confronting local actors in their strategies to emerge from decline. Lastly, the conclusion will allude to current debates about the governance of Paris and its inner suburbs, a topic that needs further research regarding the tensions and conflicts between actors at the national, regional and local level.
Key Words: Shrinking Cities, Urban Policies, Regeneration Strategies

References
Albecker M.-F., (2008), Quelles conséquences socio-spatiales de la métropolisation dans la première couronne parisienne ? Enjeux pour les politiques d'aménagement, Master Thesis, University of Paris.
Bacqué M.H., Fol S., (1997), Le devenir des banlieues rouges, L'Harmattan.
Fol S., Sabot E., (2003) La revalorisation des espaces industriels, Issy-les-Moulineaux en France et North Lanarkshire en Ecosse, Les Annales de la Recherche Urbaine, N° 93.

Banlieues françaises, 2005-2015

This change of economic and social pattern can thus be seen as a revival, but its consequences are of particular note amidst a global crisis. The sustainability of such a revival must be questioned.

Keywords: Globalization – suburbs – Paris – decline – revitalization – crisis – public policies.
"

Keywords: first suburbs, Paris, New York, deindustrialization, public policies, globalization

Urban policies had a key impact on the evolution of first suburbs, with the conjunction of local private and public strategies creating the conditions for the development of those spaces. This paper advances the hypothesis that the recent transformation of declining first-suburb territories, and the form that transformation takes, depend on the local context - the specific socio-spatial configuration inherited from history - and on a combination of public policies and private-sector strategies. It will describe the forms of decline that these territories underwent; it will then analyze their recent recomposition and the role of the strategies implemented by local actors, be it in two very different contexts (France, USA).