L’Espace géographique 2/07

Without summaries


Assessing the role of tram lines in housing prices in Nantes (3 fig., 3 tabl.)

This paper seeks to estimate the role of tram lines in spatial disparities of apartment prices in the city of Nantes using the hedonic price method. The main results of the study are that, although a bivariate analysis concludes that apartment prices are significantly lower in tramway corridors, a Poisson multiple regression is used to assess two distinctive, contrasting effects of tram lines, leading to a negative net effect in areas near the city centre and a positive one farther away.

keywords: HOUSING, MULTIPLE REGRESSION, PRICES, TRAMWAY


Contesting rail expansion in California. Conflicts around public transit policies in Los Angeles and San Francisco (7 fig.)

Public transport policies in most industrialised countries are currently under enormous pressure to satisfy often contradictory demands, caught between social equity and environmental concerns. In Los Angeles and San Francisco, various powerful lobbies are explicitly and successfully fighting the expansion of the rail system, considered detrimental to the development of the bus network, in political battles that have often been resolved in Court. While these battles seem surprising to the foreign observer, as they do not target automobile domination, they highlight the socio-spatial and institutional dynamics at play in American urban space.

keywords: AMERICAN CITY, ETHNIC SEGREGATION, FRAGMENTATION, SOCIAL EQUITY, TRANSPORT POLICIES


Urban management and socio-spatial equity: inequalities in urban basic services in Libreville (Gabon) (3 fig.)

Libreville has great inequalities in terms of access to basic services. Neither state intervention nor management systems required by investors has succeeded in reducing it. This situation seems ironic given major urban investment. However, investment has not been directed to basic infrastructure. Much has been spent on prestigious buildings. In addition, urban policies were inappropriate for reducing inequalities, in part generated by topographical constraints. Moreover liberal practices have broadened those inequalities. The case of Gabon is original and could enhance knowledge about the crisis of African cities.

keywords: DELEGATION, INEQUALITY, LIBREVILLE, REGULATION, URBAN SERVICE


Dispersion of air pollutants and urban morphology (2 encadrés, 6 fig.)

Air pollution on the scale of a single city has been little studied in geography. The influence of urban morphology on the distribution of spatial pollutants is still unknown. This paper attempts to determine how urban morphology creates spatial differentiation and to design indicators that can summarise this kind of information. A new interpretation of fractal dimensions is developed to take into account the complexity of air pollutant flows in urban areas.

keywords: AIR POLLUTION, EMISSION, FRACTAL DIMENSION, URBAN MORPHOLOGY, URBAN SUSTAINABILITY


Settlement network and territorial organisation of the ancient city of Luteva (7 fig., 2 tabl.)

Knowledge of the spatial organisation of the ancient city of Luteva (Lodève, Herault) during the Early Roman Empire (1st to 3rd century CE) is scarce. This paper proposes a model of this spatial organisation by networking the archaeological sites, based on the spatial proximity and hierarchical relationships between them. As the settlement system of the city is assimilated to a system of cities, the relationship constraints reflect the properties and workings of the urban systems. By highlighting the local networks of settlements, the principal structures of the city s territory can be identified.

keywords: ARCHAEOLOGY, GIS, SPATIAL ANALYSIS, URBAN HIERARCHY, URBAN NETWORKING


The near underwater space: essay on the concept of landscape (3 fig., 1 tabl.)

Is underwater landscape  a geographical concept in France? While conventional geography of the sea and coastal zone recognises the existence of the expression, it is not accepted as operationally relevant. In the natural sciences, biologists and marine ecologists have preferred to invent and use other concepts. Almost absent from French scientific thinking, the underwater landscape  has been increasing in the literature, which must be cross-disciplinary and open to both culture and nature. It also has to incorporate geographical themes such as mapping and scales.

keywords: ECOCOMPLEX, GEOSYSTEM, SCUBA DIVING, TERRITORY, UNDERWATER LANDSCAPE


Book reviews


In this issue of l’Espace géographique, you will find critical reviews of the following books

DROULERS M. (2004). L’Amazonie: vers un développement durable. Paris: Armand Colin, 219 p. (Yves Poinsot, université de Pau)

ALBALADÉJO C., SARTRE XAVIER A. de (dir.) (2005). L’Amazonie brésilienne et le développement durable (expériences et enjeux en milieu rural). Paris: L’Harmattan, coll. «Recherches en Amérique latine». (Yves Poinsot, université de Pau)

COLLECTIF (2005). Atlas des pêches et des ports de pêches de Java. Une approche géographique des pêches indonésiennes. Nantes: CNRS-LETG UMR 6554, Géolittomer et PK2PTM LPP Bogor (Indonésie), 120 p. (Marie-Christine Cormier-Salem, IRD-MNHN Paris)

NASR J., PADILLA M. (dir.) (2004). Interfaces: agricultures et villes à l’Est et au Sud de la Méditerranée. Beyrouth, Bruxelles: Éditions Delta et Institut français du Proche-Orient, 430 p. (Henri Chamussy, université de Grenoble I)

BENKO G., STROHMAYER U. (2004). Horizons géographiques. Paris: Bréal, coll. «D’autre part», 350 p. (Olivier Milhaud, université de Bordeaux III)

BERDOULAY V., DA COSTA P.C., LOLIVE J. (2004). L’Espace public à l’épreuve. Régressions et émergences. Pessac: Maison des sciences de l’Homme d’Aquitaine, 224 p. (Guénola Capron, centre d’études mexicaines et centraméricaines, Mexico)


L’espace géographique 1/07<-->L’espace géographique 3/07

For subscribe or buy this issue: BELIN

<=L’Espace géographique: contents


Last modified: August 29, 2007