Is Territorial Planning an Answer to Perceived Abandonment?

Territorial inequalities remain very high in France, especially in the Northeast quarter, with extremely fragile territories that concentrate all vulnerabilities and trajectories that do not show improvement. These strong and persistent inequalities generate a sense of abandonment among the population who, without listening, turn their votes to populist parties.

Yet, for decades, the territories have benefited from major development policies in terms of urban renewal, transport, access to very high-speed broadband, reindustrialization... Clearly, the result is not up to par in terms of territorial economic development and reduction of inequalities.

In the face of multiple external shocks (geopolitical, demographic, digital, energy, globalization), it is time to establish a real national development strategy, implemented at the local level, to stimulate economic activity and thus reduce disparities between territories, while in fact restoring the conditions of democracy.