How France killed its cities

New paperback edition Dark, empty windows, blind facades, lowered metal blinds. Calais, Agen, Landerneau, Avignon, Lunéville... The urban crisis is eating away at the prefectures and sub-prefectures, destroying them from within. Abandoned shops are only the most glaring symptom of a larger phenomenon: the population is stagnating, housing is vacant, the standard of living is deteriorating. So what's going on? The deliberate offensive of large retailers, on the outskirts, is killing businesses in the city center and old districts, and sacrificing local jobs. In addition, lifestyles are strongly linked to modes of travel. Everywhere, the individual car is still considered an obligation, a due. However, because it takes up space and generates noise and pollution, motorization contributes greatly to the suffocation of cities. How can France save its cities? No miraculous solution, but a series of small steps, of sober decisions. The shock survey that revealed the devitalization of French cities and sparked a national debate.