Des liens sociaux à la construction d'un développement territorial durable : quel rôle de la proximité dans ce processus ?

Abstract

From social links to territorial and sustainable development. How does proximity matter in that process ?This article points out the role of social relationships on territorial and sustainable development process. Our analysis of local co-ordination – which underlines the importance of non market factors – originates in the economics of proximity and the theories of social capital. We first state how social relationships influence local development. The second part of this paper stresses that the two approaches complement each other. We show how the articulation between the two theoretical frameworks is fundamental to properly comprehend the social determinants of territorial development dynamics. The third part of the text mainly focuses on the spatial impacts of social relationships. We propose an analytical grid to identify and qualify them in a sustainable development process.

Keywords

• proximity
• territorial development
• social capital
• spatial configurations