Stakes and vulnerabilities assessment in industrial risk: French context and perspectives offered by territorial approach

The new French law n◦ 2003-699 of 30th July 2003 has strongly changed the way industrial risks are managed and qualified, proposing a new tool, "Technological Risk Prevention Plans" (TRPP, in French Plans de Prevention des Risques Technologiques) for Land Use Planning (LUP). This new tool considers industrial risk as a combination between a "Hazard" and "vulnerable stakes". Thus, risk analysis has moved from a "hazard oriented" approach (probability, intensity, kinetic) to a "hazard and vulnerability" approach, insisting on the socio-spatial and economic dimensions of risk. That is what we have decided to call the "territorial approach of risk". In the following paper, the authors will present (i) the changes in industrial risk analysis induced by the law's "new" definition of risk; (ii) the context stakes and vulnerabilities assessment in TRPP process; (iii) the territorial approach develop at INERIS and GEOSYSCOM research Laboratory. Based on Ph.D. research results and methodological perspectives, this paper suggests the need to consider the contribution of geography sciences and complexity sciences to open up risk analysis and risk management for LUP.