What is the Place of Night-time in the Urban Policy of a French Intermediate City?

Abstract

Metropolisation is a widespread phenomenon, defined by special mechanisms operating on spaces in cities of all sizes. The process reorganizes not only space but also time, particularly night-time. Public policies consider the city at night-time to be a new field of action for competition. Cities aim to develop innovative actions to make them more attractive at night. This paper analyses these actions and the transformation of the urban geography at night, focusing on intermediate cities – less explored than the biggest cities – by studying the case of a specific French city. The research shows how public policy-makers are struggling and have difficulty positioning their actions and establishing guidelines, producing a situation that raises questions, creates problems and limits innovation.