Le commerce dans la fabrique périurbaine : centralités commerciales et pratiques habitantes au nord de la métropole parisienne

This paper deals with retail within the ‘peri-urban’ areas around big cities. It combines an analysis of the retail structure and an analysis of the local consumers’ practices and images. Using retail account databases and a series of interviews with inhabitants in the North of the Parisian Metropolis (Senlis, Meru, and Ecouen-Ezanville), the paper explores the concept of ‘proximity’ and aims to contribute to the debate about the construction of local territories on the fringes of big cities. It shows first how commercial centres are practiced, and then moves on to examine how retail contributes to the good image and the inhabitants’ deep attachment to their local environment. Finally, it highlights the various forms of proximity – spatial proximity vs network-based proximity, local dependency vs large life space – which differ according to individual characteristics and spatial contexts. As these spatial practices have already been identified within areas of higher density, the paper concludes that peri-urban areas are being increasingly normalized.