Un littoral pour quelle population ? Une réponse politique entre nature et société

The western French coastal area is a real space of social segregation with significant disparities in population dynamics. The study of the Arcachon Basin and of the coast of Picardy allows us to highlight these disparities. The sociology of the populations of these areas and their demographic evolution shows that the population is very affected by the coastal dynamics. It is a principal issue in the interactions between nature and society, the answer to which is to be found in the public policies developed there. The Arcachon Basin, which may appear to be the picture of a seaside resort area, in fact, tends more to social policies allowing a more mixed population to remain on the spot. The latter has even increased while the number of second homes has decreased in most communes in the last 10 years. In contrast, on the coast of Picardy, the local population is stagnating and even decreasing in some communes (Ault, and Le Crotoy) while the population of occasional residents increases. The result is a general increase in prices which makes it difficult to retain the local population (older as well as younger). Added to this is a more significant impact of the natural dynamics, needing a very different management approach from the very anthropocentric one of recent decades. It is important to note that the Arcachon Basin appears to be a “mature” area, experienced in public policies, while the coast of Picardy remains an area under gradual development...which makes the political choices for its population’s future so important.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND

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