 Peri-urbanization and population decline of the city centre: The case of Oran (Algeria) 
The new patterns of Oran’s metropolitan urbanization are manifested through urban sprawl and population decline of the central districts. This was stimulated by an increase in peri-urban real estate activity and land development which generated new dynamics: young adults are relocating from the city to suburban areas; the residential function is replacing central economic functions (businesses and services); and population is slowly and progressively aging. Our analysis will focus on the changes in population and migration patterns in the agglomeration of Oran (city centre and peri-urban areas) through urban sprawl caused by residential mobility and the ongoing mutation of the demographic composition and function of the central districts. Our work is based on data from five censuses (1966, 1977, 1987, 1998, and 2008) of the Algerian National Bureau of Statistics (ONS), studies from the Department of Urban Planning and Land Use (DTAP), and our field surveys.