Distances, interactions et analyse spatiale de la ville : le cas de montréal

The concept of distance remains vague despite its ubiquity in geographic analysis. This paper investigates this concept and the consequences of its ambiguity on the study of urban space. We present some of the principal formulations of distance and discuss of their respective advantages. We then study the affinities and differences associated with some forms of distances (euclidian distance, reticular distance, time distance and interaction distance) as measured within Montréal?s metropolitan area. The results show that (1) while the relative differences between the various measures of distance are small, (2) but that they represent particular spatial universe. At first, it appears that « network » distances (reticular and transit time) direct observed interactions. However, once the size effect of places is taken into account, automobile travel time express more adequately residual interactions. These observations confirm that the choice of distance measure has a limited but concrete impact on urban spatial analysis : each one referring to a specific spatial universe. Classification JEL : R41.