Littoralisation et ségrégation socio-spatiale : le cas du quartier Balmer de San-Pédro (Côte d’Ivoire)

Abstract

For several decades, coastal littoralisation has been a phenomenon of growing importance in a context of exponential demographic growth and strong expansion of the built space. In both developed and developing countries, this phenomenon of littoralisation at different scales is accompanied by social and environmental disparities, which are reflected in socio-spatial segregation. Thus, the study of the relationships between littoralisation and segregation appears to be more and more an issue of interest in the field of geography. In the Balmer district of San-Pédro, a town in the southwest of Ivory Coast, the processes of segregation and social differentiation are more and more recurrent on the coast. In this context, this contribution draws up an inventory of the different modes of coastalisation and focuses on the different networks of coastal actors as well as on the explanations that account for socio-spatial segregation in the coastal sector of Balmer. Based on a literature review, a questionnaire survey, semi-structured interviews and direct observation, the main results of the study indicate that Balmer’s coastal development was induced by a residential and tourist economy and the dynamics of industrial, fishery and informal activities. In addition, it points out the fact that coastalisation is the prerogative of a heterogeneous population (rich and poor, local and foreign) whose various segments are competing for access to the beach, restaurants and leisure services. The result is a spatio-temporal opposition in the use of space by the different social groups. This situation results in a segmentation of the coastline and the rise of xenophobic and even racist perceptions and behavior.

Keywords

• littoral
• littoralisation
• social segregation
• spatial segregation
• Balmer
• San-Pédro