Le domaine public, une réserve d’urbanisation invisible ? Application d’une méthode géomatique aux cas d’étude de Rennes et de Bordeaux

Abstract

While public land ownership represents a significant lever for controlling and regulating land development, our understanding of this subject remains partial, as only a portion is recorded in cadastral data. Notably, the non-registered domain, primarily encompassing public land, is not taken into account in the main databases on land ownership. This article proposes a method for identifying the public domain and tracking its evolution trough a geomatic processing chain. The method enhances historicized cadastral data, thus providing a better match between non-registered space and the public domain. Case studies conducted in Bordeaux Metropole and Rennes Metropole reveal that the public domain, despite being theoretically inalienable and imprescriptible, is undergoing significant changes. Although the trends may seem minor, urbanization dynamics are emerging on public land, evading the current institutional assessments of space consumption. Furthermore, this research indicates a yearly reduction in the public domain’s area, particularly in favor of housing development. This highlights an overlooked dimension of the privatization of public land ownership.

Keywords

• geomatics
• urban planning
• land politics
• cadaster
• privatization