Territorialization of Transportation Networks and Services: Multimodal Policies in Alsace, Nord-Pas de Calais, and Rhône-Alpes

Further to the 1997 legislative elections, the appointed government has set new dynamics in spatial planning; it subsituted collective services schemes for preexisting infrastructure plans, promoting demand-based, locally-orientated planning. The elaboration of these schemes started before the end of the parliament works which resulted in the adoption of the LOADDT on June 25 1999. They were adopted through a decree by the Council of State on April 18, 2002.
This paper focuses on the territorialization process of the transport policy as developped in the services schemes. Three regions were selected for a detailed study of the consultation processes and of the resulting original and/or innovative elements: Alsace, Nord-Pas de Calais and Rhône-Alpes.
Those three regional authorities, that appear to be highly involved in elaborating transport policies, demonstrate a support to multimodality policies as well as a will to contribute to those policies, while questioning the state about its own way to implement such a principle of action. Contrary to generally accepted ideas, territories do not care only about infrastructures.