Differences between metropolitan areas and small and medium-sized towns and cities in France are widening, in terms of wealth, employment, and demography. The role and future of these cities spread across France is being challenged by the combination of dynamics more favourable to metropolitan areas and questions raised about developpement policies based on an ideal of spatal equality. The weakening of small and medium-sized towns is on the political agenda. The objective of this project is to question the methods leading to the shrinkage of services and shops in these towns and the strategies implemented by the actors (public, private and non-profit) to deal with them. The most vulnerable populations are bearing the brunt of change (the elderly, the unemployed, precarious workers, migrant, etc.). This project aims to connect various approaches, research methods and novel ambitions, by associating researchers from human and social sciences as well as from computer sciences.
