Barbara Evrard

Les loisirs sportifs dans l’estuaire de la Seine : natures périurbaines et cadre de vie

Résumé Cette contribution porte sur la distribution sociale et spatiale des loisirs sportifs à l’échelle d’un système de villes : l’estuaire de la Seine, qui est considéré comme l’un des plus anthropisés (aménagé, urbanisé et industrialisé) d’Europe. En quoi cet objet et cette échelle d’appréhension sont-ils pertinents pour comprendre notre réalité urbaine contemporaine ? L’article réinscrit les loisirs sportifs dans les dynamiques territoriales qui les façonnent et qu’ils structurent en retour. Les terrains de jeu, loin d’être toujours consensuels, sont parfois tolérés, parfois obtenus de haute lutte, quand ils ne sont pas braconnés. Quelles sont les médiations territoriales à l’oeuvre, dont les loisirs sportifs sont le creuset et qui construisent le cadre de la vie urbaine contemporaine ? Les logiques d’usages renvoient aussi à des enracinements sociaux contrastés, et à des inégalités écologiques marquées qui interrogent les différentes formes de rapport à la « nature » que produisent nos villes en regard de cette idée régulatrice qu’est le développement durable.

Formes de marche et immersions dans la nature : ressourcements et dépaysements dans les forêts urbaines

Many recreational practices consist of symbolically and physically breaking away from the city and responding to a need for renewal and/or a change of scenery. This article discusses specific immersions arising from different kinds of walking practices in urban forests. It describes this type of environment before presenting the experimental site used for the research (a metropolis with 500,000 inhabitants and its green belt) and the corresponding methodology. The multiscale analysis describes how three different groups (urban residents, urban residents living at the edge of the forest, and recreational walkers) perceive and visit the forest. As common as they are, recreational walks show that certain territories such as forests involve deep immersion which is not available to everyone. A territorial description of outdoor recreational practices is essential to show the differences between kinds of walks and forms of well-being.

L’événementiel sportif municipal au secours des éléphants blancs : l’exemple de Charléty sur Neige

While most impact studies focus on competitive sports events, just a few pay attention to municipal sports events. Nevertheless, politicians use them to attain the purpose of a public policy: either to improve a situation, or to fill a gap. This is the case of ‘Charléty sur Neige,’ which aims to address the underutilization of Charléty stadium (20,000 seats) in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. This free event transforms the facility into a ski resort for youths aged between 3 and 16 years. This article analyzes the various impacts of the event in order to identify the fit between the objectives and the effects observed. On the one hand, the event becomes a way to respond to cross-cutting issues far beyond the initial objective of the facility’s animations. On the other hand, the stakeholders’ interactions and local configurations reveal missed opportunities, confirming the essentially non-sporting use of the second largest Parisian sports facility.

Residing in the city, living on the fringe of the forest: differentiated forest leisure activities, significant urban adjustments

ABSTRACT This contribution deals with the spatial and social distribution of forest-fringe residents of the Rouen metropolis (France) and demonstrates how their forest-based leisure activities indicate and play a role in establishing their environment. A multi-scale approach contextualizes the study, explains the survey strategy used and shows how and to what degree these residents live between the city and forest. The sample is based on four very different residential forms reflecting different means of living in the city and reveal different ways of using nature, thus leading us to contemporary redefinitions of city–nature relations, which lie at the heart of the issues and mutations facing our urban condition.