Mobility strategies in urban renewal policy
In France, public policy-driven urban renewal has increasingly led to buildings first being torn down, then rebuilt, and their residents rehoused. For the families involved, this means relocating to a different part of the city. This article examines some ways daily mobility practices evolve in the particular context of forced relocation. The authors base their conclusions on a qualitative survey on changes in daily mobility behaviour patterns among residents of a ZUS (or sensitive urban zone) located in Tourcoing (France) that had experienced this kind of upheaval. They then look more closely at the practice of cooperative carpooling which seems to be widespread in the population group studied and appears to play a significant role in the motility of certain respondents. The authors analyze how these carpooling practices can be impacted by public policy-driven urban renewal when households are relocated, and demonstrate the role played by community roots and cooperation among community members.