Is the French diagonal emptying? An exploratory spatial analysis of demographic decrease in France for the past 50 years

Abstract

This article’s purpose is to draw attention to the results of the latest censuses in France, and to the dichotomy that remains between space and population in terms of settlement dynamics. A detailed examination on different levels – from counties (“départements”) to villages/towns (“communes”)- shows territories where the demographic dynamics are opposed. These dynamics don’t fit with commonplace conceptions, even in the scientific world. Beyond a mark that’s still visible and quantifiable, the “diagonal of emptiness” (a line drawn between the Pyrenees and the Ardennes) has actually not totally emptied. However, its geography is varied and can only be evaluated with thorough consideration removed from preconceptions. This is the point of our article, based on sharp cartography and measurements of spatial patterns. These indicate that some spaces in France seem to be literally abandoned by human beings.population geography, demographic change, spatial autocorrelation