Spatial justice: the contemporary uncertainties of the French model

France and its territories are particularly concerned by the issue of spatial justice. The principle of equality - egalitè - occupies a central place within the national motto ‘liberty, equality, fraternity’. But above all, France has long made the choice of the projection on the ground of this republican principle by considering that equality between citizens passes through equality between territories (Estèbe, 2015). Long focused on the political and institutional register, this conception of social and territorial equality founded in the post-war period a model of public action: that of ‘French spatial planning’ centred on the search for balance between territories. While evolving strongly with decentralization, this model of territorial action lasted until the end of the last century. It has since entered into crisis - less in terms of effectiveness than legitimacy - under the blow of the consequences of globalisation. This interview emphasises that beyond a now explicit reference to this principle of ‘equality of territories’, this crisis is now manifested by political and strategic uncertainty as to its declination in public policies.