ABSTRACT
The purpose of this paper is to throw some light on urban sprawl in France. How can sprawl be defined and measured? Did it characterize the spatial development of French cities in recent decades? What forms did it take? Is it increasing or decreasing? What are the main determinants of sprawl in France? It might be useful to begin by providing some background information on urban development in France, on urban planning in France, and on the statistical information available. The paper then attempts to provide workable definitions of sprawl. It continues with a case study of sprawl in Rennes, which is used to flesh out the concepts used. It then asks whether the finding of this case study can be generalized to all French cities. The paper also tries to discover whether sprawl has a measurable impact upon the efficiency of cities.
