| La Lettre du GERPISA | no 121 (march 1998) |
Paris, Inrets, June 1997, 168 p.
This book regroups the acts of a seminar held at the University of Paris X-Nanterre where Yannick Lung presented GERPISA's research. It underlines the interest geography can lend to the study of relationships between the automobile and town/regional planning and transformation. More particularly, several chapters explore the link between different territorial structurations and automobile use. They generally concern urban areas in developed countries, but also certain regions in the developing world. They outline certain characteristics of automobile use interacting with existing or proposed town/regional public policy : effects on spatial organization, articulation with other means of transport, network hierarchization and dynamics, etc... A few of these research projects were presented at our June 1997 encounter.
Other studies present certain territorial aspects of distribution or production. François Bost looks at the history of French constructors' assembly strategies in sub-Sahara Africa. The numerous micro-plants of the 1960s, established after the independence of countries in this region with the objective of substituting imports, were closed down in the 1970s and 1980s. Peugeot's production in Nigeria, reaching a peak around 1981-1982, also collapsed. At present only the South African market, left to fend for itself ten years ago, seems sufficiently promising to encourage the return of French constructors.
Gabriel Dupuy examines examples of evolution in automobile distribution, and effects on urban territorial organization, in particular in Japan and the United States. As a hypothesis, he outlines a few resulting trends in city recomposition : specialized proximity services can be found in dense zones. In peripheral urban activity zones, one finds generalist sales or repair establishments of a larger sort. Finally, near regional capitals and benefiting from easy access, one finds large scale shopping centers.
Rodolphe Greggio describes Fiat's international expansion strategy. Indeed, the firm quite often sought to construct hegemonic situations abroad, within protected markets and low wage costs, by relying on its relations with national political representatives. It thus reproduced certain characteristics of its national organization : links with politicians, establishing large series productions in southern regions. These peripheral implantations could represent a challenge to Fiat's Piedmont industrial center.