Quelles dynamiques pour les petites villes en Europe ? Une étude comparée Sax...

Gares ferroviaires et stratégies d'aménagement n° 16 2021 * Professeur d'Aménagement et d'Urbanisme,

In international literature, small cities are often presented as the weak link within the urban system due to their lower growth rate and the threat of shrinking in the context of metropolisation. However their population dynamics are highly variable between places, determined by a number of factors, such as the national and regional demographic trends or the local economic base. This article proposes a regional case study on Western France, examining their demographic changes from 1990 to 2015. Three possible factors based on underlying assumptions are tested: 1. the proximity of larger cities as a possible revitalisation factor due to urban sprawl; 2. The vicinity of the coast attributed to the growing role of residential attractiveness; 3. In a more original way, the distance to a railway station as a potential factor, boosted by the recent passenger railway service strengthening. The results are counter-intuitive and the assumptions only partially validated, which invites us to reassess the relevance of the analysis of urban dynamics by size class.