Les territoires en déprise, espaces privilégiés de l’accueil d’exilés ? Une analyse des dynamiques du dispositif Asile et intégration dans la région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Abstract

This article explores the geography of accommodation for asylum seekers in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region (France), and examines the role of shrinking areas in hosting these individuals. It assesses the distribution of accommodations available to asylum seekers under the French national Asylum and Integration scheme, drawing on a unique database from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regional Directorate for the Economy, Employment, Labour and Solidarity in 2023, supplemented by semi-structured interviews with reception center managers. The local-level analysis highlights key insights: first, from 2017 to 2022, asylum accommodation remains dispersed, though increasingly concentrated in urban areas compared to rural regions and small towns. Second, there is a noticeable trend toward territorial rebalancing, as accommodations shift from shrinking municipalities to more dynamic ones.

Keywords

• migration
• rural
• territorial governance
• shrinkage
• refugees
• revitalization/revitalisation