The rural territories of Midi-Pyrénées: multiplicity of demographic evolutions and territorial development

Les territoires ruraux de Midi-Pyrénées : Multiplicité des évolutions démographiques et développement territorial

Michaël Pouzenc (1) , Laurence Barthe (1)

1 Dynamiques Rurales

Rural territories in Midi-Pyrénées : multiplicity of population evolution and territory development. We interpret the demographic evolution of regional rural space from 4 main dynamics, containing stakes of territory development which we name here : « residential country », « boroughs and small town country », « hedonistic country », « voluntary country ». The combination of these and the stakes involved is explained from three examples : Pays Bourian (in the Lot) which undergoes a marked demographic increase, away from urban areas ; Au brae in Aveyron where important initiatives for local development do not seem (as yet) to have modified the decrease in population ; Pays Couserans (in Ariège) where the recent recovery results both from proper dynamics and of the relative vicinity of the Toulouse area.

Mots clés: rural territories; demographic evolutions; territorial development; Midi-Pyrénées region; France

Domaines: Géographie

Michaël Pouzenc, Laurence Barthe. Les territoires ruraux de Midi-Pyrénées : Multiplicité des évolutions démographiques et développement territorial. Sud-Ouest Européen, 2003, 15, pp.49-56. ⟨hal-01563591⟩