Les mobilités résidentielles dans les petites villes et les bourgs-centres en décroissance au prisme des enjeux de revitalisation. Le cas du Livradois-Forez

Abstract

This article aims to document the residential migrations of a shrinking rural area: the intermunicipality of Ambert Livradois Forez, located in the Regional Natural Park of Livradois Forez. By crossing a quantitative analysis of the general census of the population and 29 semi-structured interviews focused on new residents, the article proposes to revisit the reasons for the residential mobility of these spaces. The latter oscillate between traditional determinants (employment, retirement, family, biographical ruptures) and others more linked to the situation of decline: the accessibility of land and real estate markets make possible reclassifications favorable to the arrival of neo-rural households, to “comfortable mobility for young retirees” [Driant, 2007]. But this situation also leads to reinforced territorial disparities, where the signs of decline in small town centers (degradation of buildings, loss of services and shops, medical desert, depreciated rental market) make them globally undesirable, except for a function of (temporary) gateways to the territory or for older retirees. These migrations are therefore also to be taken into account by public policies in that they reveal possible fragilities in these territories.

Keywords

• residential migrations
• small town centers
• territorial shrinkage
• small town
• neo-rural household
• Livradois-Forez