Industrial heritage and transition studies in a rural area of south of France
Patrimoine industriel et transition dans un espace rural du Sud de la France
Résumé
The industrial history of the french department Ardèche bequeaths numerous sites: most of them are linked to the work of silk, followed by tanning activities, mines, and paper mills. This growth is mainly due to the abundant natural resources (water power, minerals, population). In 1874, a survey counted 999 establishments (113 of which are at a standstill) in the department (quoted by Morel, 2002). The sites are variously shaped; we can observe most of the architectural type described par Edelblutte (2009): multiples floors, shed roofs, industrial city, industrial valley... A lot of those are small sized.
However, nowadays most of these industries have closed and the popular image of the department is one made of beautiful natural landscapes and colorful little villages. The national recognition, by listing as historical monument, only concern five sites: three are mines or quarries, one is a smelting furnace and one is a paper mill; the silk and tanning activities are not accounted for. Therefore, the citizens, the associations and the local authorities have played an important part for the conservation of industrial heritage. It is equivalent to what Rautenberg (2003) calls patrimoines sociaux (social heritages) as opposed to Patrimoine régalien (national Heritage). These local initiatives have taken multiples forms.
Also, for the last fifty years at least, Ardèche is a department known for the presence of numerous groups experimenting alternatives values, especially about “inhabiting” (Koop and Senil, 2015). How have the industrial heritage been used for plan aiming to sustainability and transition (understood as in “transition towns”)? Numerous examples exist: from the re-use of the hydroelectric installations, to the setting of industrial cooperative or settled communities. This reading offers to present different occurrences encountered during our work in progress and question the role of the heritage in the establishment of sustainable plans.
Domaines
Géographie
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