The collection of texts in this anthology traces the evolution of urban policy as an academic discipline and places the dynamics of this policy in its socio-political context. The approach is chronological.

The first section is an outline of the evolution of urbanization and the transformation of the urban network in France. It focuses on the rise of modern urban development plans at the beginning of the century and the earliest expressions of the concept of the welfare state upto the 1940s.

The second part covers the period from World War II to the 1970s. It analyses changes that resulted from direct bearing on the rhythms and form of urbanization. It also deals with the influence of centralization on urban policy, land ownership, social housing and town planning.

The last part is devoted to the reorientation of the present urban policy in the context of decentralization, and to new research perspectives particularly concerning local development, urban engineering, new partnership procedures and to the optimization of existing equipment.

In this selection of texts, the emphasis is on ‘new problems’, ‘new approaches;. These studies, not easily found in libraries, highlight the key debates and issues of the time.