Planning for Fairness: Equity in French Urbanisme and Grenoble's De Bonne Eco-Neighborhood

摘要

Most planning departments in U.S. cities today incorporate strategies to address inequity in its many forms into their missions and project designs. Despite this attention to the problem, overall urban inequality is on the rise around the world. Considering this trend, planners must begin to reevaluate the methods being used to address equity issues. First, in an attempt to bring light to this issue, this research delves into the urban planning history, philosophy, and law of one country that has been relatively successful in the fight against inequalities, France. Next, the particularities and methods of French urbanisme (urban planning) are linked to the concept of equity by examining how it is conceptualized and operationalized in French urban planning practice and policy. Finally, through the application of an advocacy planning framework, this research employs qualitative methodologies to investigate the results of the Quartier De Bonne eco-neighborhood project developed by the city of Grenoble, France and to evaluate the project's effectiveness in meeting social equity goals. Through an in-depth consideration of French planning literature, official planning policy, GIS spatial analyses, interview analysis, and GIS methods, final conclusions seek to identify areas of improvement for equity planning methods and project evaluation. Finally, implications for other cities hoping to address inequity in their communities using similar strategies are discussed. These include the importance of policy action, public participation, and a mixed-methods approach to post-project evaluation to ensure successful equity planning projects in the U.S.