ABSTRACT
Urban sprawl in France is a recent phenomenon, compared to the United States or the United Kingdom. The trend started after World War I and accelerated after World War II as industries moved away from dense urban areas to settle in the close-in suburbs. In the 1970s, the process entered a second stage, with a boom in the relocation of both economic activities and housing to more distant places. Since then, the pace of growth in French inner cities slowed down, then declined absolutely, while population and employment rose in the first suburban ring and even more on the periphery.
