Choosing, living in and belonging to the community of Montlouis-sur-Loire. Territorial identity for middle class residents of a small suburb of the city of Tours
The article describes different lifestyle choices made by the middle class population in the Terrasses-de-Bodets district of Montlouis-sur-Loire, a small suburb of the French city of Tours, in the central part of France, and the effects of those choices on people’s use of the land and feelings of identification with their neighbourhood (a concept sometimes described as “territorialization”). We first examine the peri-urban space through the prism of the values held by residents belonging to this social class, recognizing that the significance of the example lies in the proactive municipal planning policy, grounded in principles of sustainable development and social diversity. Using the example of the planning zone (known in France as a “ZAC”) covering Montlouis-sur-Loire, our article draws on 42 semi-structured interviews and confirms results observed in previous studies – showing the extent to which the principal aspirations of residents centre around a triple goal: the desire for “third-spaces”, for ownership and for detached homes. The interviews also reveal a high demand (for proximity to Tours, requirements for centralities, and for recreational areas, etc.). This demand constitutes a fundamental value for residents, as is neighbourhood sociability, in that both give real meaning to the concept of the neighbourhood. An analysis of this kind helps to further our understanding of the middle classes through their lifestyle choices, while also contributing to our reflections on differentiation in peri-urban communities and their social heterogeneity.