This paper deals first with Blanchard's views on geography through his writings on La Mauricie region and underlines the difficulties of such an approach in its practical applications. However, through the numerous links which exist between the various elements of geographical description and also thanks to the time dimension in his writings, Blanchard shows the unity of this area which seemed to have been at first fragmented through landscape analysis. Second, the paper describes the changes the region has experienced since 1950: the collapse of the industrial structure the shift of the manufacturing centre of gravity to the south, while the urban agglomerations experienced continued spatial growth in spite of the lower rate of population growth. At last, the rural area of La Mauricie has evolved towards a greater functional diversification ; its varied links with the forest area have declined ; at the same time the rural areas have become increasingly integrated with the urban agglomerations.