Amiens as a metropolis (4 fig.)
Amiens is being revitalised. The former industrial town specialised in textiles, then automotive parts, is now service-oriented (healthcare, education, new technologies and logistics). The urban landscape is also changing: the town centre has already been remodelled and jobs are being created in the high-rise estates, particularly the tax-free zones. Like its cathedral, cleaned by laser and coloured by a slide projection, Amiens's image is improving for residents and visitors alike.
keyword: AMIENS, METROPOLIS, URBAN CHANGE
Patrick Picouet, Jean-Pierre Renard. Straits: new territories? The example of the Strait of Dover (3 fig.)
Like all maritime spaces, international straits are becoming territories in their own right. The Strait of Dover is probably one of the most perfect examples of this development.
keyword: DOVER STRAIT, MODEL, STRAIT, TERRITORY
Chile, a square model (4 fig.)
An economic model for some, Chile can also be an interesting example for those interested in land planning, a square model of sorts. Drawing the graphical model highlighting the country's structures inside a square enables us to temporarily put aside the constraints of its shape, so as to return to them afresh later.
keyword: CHILI, REGIONAL DIVISION, SQUARE, TERRITORIAL MODELS
Thierry Saint-Gérand. Mapping major technological risks: new prospects for GIS (4 fig.)
By building a localised database for major technological risks and combining it with a geographical information system, we can establish a typology of zones at risk based on the accident-vulnerability pair and produce summary maps, which can be valuable aids for consultations and decision-making.
keyword: GIS, LOCALISED DATABASE, MAPPING, TECHNOLOGICAL RISK
Centre interdisciplinaire d'études urbaines. A city marked by a disaster: the explosion of the AZF plant in Toulouse (4 fig.)
The explosion of the AZF chemicals plant in Toulouse on 21 September 2001 caused large-scale damage. The history of this industrial site shows how little industrial risk has been taken into account. The gradual urbanisation of the area around Toulouses chemicals zone explains the scale of the property damage caused by the disaster. Toulouses experience highlights our towns and cities lack of preparedness for this kind of event. The management of the crisis by the public authorities and the reactions of the affected population are to be measured in the light of this observation.
keyword: AZF PLANT, CRISIS MANAGEMENT, INDUSTRIAL RISK, PREVENTION, TOULOUSE
Spatial inertia or reorganisation in Durban: an analysis of basic spatial structures (7 fig.)
The study of Durban's basic spatial structures shows the spatial logic of the metropolis over a long period. Consequently, spatial inertia is a logical phenomenon. Conversely, political change, the multiplication of actors and new appropriations of space show a gradual, but redistributive process of spatial reorganisation.
keyword: APARTHEID, CHORÈME, DURBAN, REORGANISATION, SOUTH AFRICA, SPATIAL INERTI
Cities in school geographical culture (3 fig.)
Behind the appearance of a neutralised inventory of the world, school geography constructs a cultural model. The study of cities in school geographical culture overvalues the developed world. These choices, which are part of the tacit knowledge imparted in school, are based on principles that associate the symbolism of places with the « natural » relationships between societies and their space.
keyword: CITY, CULTURAL MODEL, REPRESENTATION, SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY, SYMBOLIC PLACE
Mapping the coastal sea floor (5 fig.)
Sea floor mapping methodologies have changed over the last twenty years. Nowadays, geological investigations using acoustic techniques provide precise data about sedimentology and morphology of the sea floor. These data sets are used to generate maps and GIS. This approach contributes to knowledge and long-term monitoring of coastal areas, where numerous human activities are concentrated.
keyword: CARTOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, COASTAL AREA, SEDIMENTOLOGY
Book reviews (Roger Brunet, Claude Mangin, Pierre Usselmann)
Mappemonde 4/01
Mappemonde 2/02
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Last modified: February 21, 2002
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