Evolving Structure of the French Urban System

Denise Pumain (1) , Thérèse Saint-Julien (1)

1 GC (UMR_8504) - Géographie-cités

The evolution of the French system of cities over 30 years (1954-1982) is analysed by means of multivariate analysis of their economic and professional profiles. The persistency over time of the major structural dimensions which summarize the differences between cities is explained by the rapid and large diffusion of socio-economic innovations in all parts of the system. As a result, the first composite dimension named "image de marque" did not change much during the period. However, a second factor of differentiation called " modernity" did emerge slowly due to selective location of modern activities in cities of rather large size and regions of higher population skills.

Mots clés: cities; system of cities; France; socio-economic evolution; image de marque

Domaines: Géographie; Méthodes et statistiques

Denise Pumain, Thérèse Saint-Julien. Evolving Structure of the French Urban System. Urban Geography, 1984, 5 (4). ⟨halshs-01565112⟩