The Temptation of bitumen

Year after year, the French countryside disappears under the city. Despite indignant proclamations and virtuous legislation, fertile land is becoming scarce, natural spaces are being fragmented, the city is scattered and partitioned, the automobile is imposing itself as the only social link. The phenomenon, known as urban sprawl, is not only the result, as is often believed, of the housing crisis and the desire for home ownership. Shopping centers, warehouses, car parks, the sprawling city feeds, in France as elsewhere, on an opulent economy and a society that values individual happiness, preferably in the short term. In other words, we are all responsible. Local selfishness, the temptations of elected officials and the tics of planners come up against survival reflexes here and there. We could densify and revitalize the existing city. Decisions could be made at the right level and thinking about the future. One could resist the all-parking. We could improve the quality of life without wasting the territory. In this essay, the authors paint a lively and uncompromising portrait of the unequal battle that is waged between the thirst for bitumen and the rare safeguards capable of countering the phenomenon. Editor's note: This paperback edition reproduces in full the text published in 2012 and now out of print. Our goal: to maintain the availability of a book hailed by critics and the public for its relevance and pedagogy. “This book can help us to better think about the city and why not reinvigorate the famous “better living together”! » Xavier Capodano, Le Genre Urbain Bookstore