Le modèle des ceintures limitrophes (fringe belts): une application aux villes françaises

摘要

This research aims to identify the field of French urban morphology to stress the fact that it has been neglected by the French nouvelle geographie, having been adjudged too traditional and empirical. This reflects, in part at least, a lack of awareness amongst French researchers of the theoretical dimensions of urban morphology that have been developed in other countries. A notable instance of this is the fringe-belt concept, which has been almost unexplored in France. This concept has theoretical - including deductive - dimensions that could help to revive urban morphology within francophone geography. That is why the fringe belt model is presented (genesis, development, content) and tested for the first time to three French cities (Nantes, Rennes and Tours). This application underlines the relevance but also the limits of the model in comparison to other models, and in the French frame of urban renewal. The evaluation of the fringe belt model in France has a theoretical and urbanistic significance. It could shed light on planning policies.