ECONOMICS DOI:10.22616/rrd.23.2017.064 THE DISABLED PEOPLE, A TOOL FOR A RURAL RE-DEVELOPMENT THE CASE OF MARVEJOLS (LOZÈRE, FRANCE) Franck Chignier-Riboulon, Mauricette Fournier UMR ‘Territoires’, Clermont-Ferrand, France [email protected]; [email protected] Abstract Marvejols is a small town located in Lozère (France). Traditionally, the region was poor with an agricultural oriented economy. However, by the 1960s a new type of business was launched: the residential care facilities for disabled people, especially in relation to Jacques Blanc, a key person in the organization and development of this business. This economic activity brought jobs and new attractiveness, counterbalancing decline in traditional sectors. Nevertheless, currently, situation is less favourable, and the local players try to find out a new strategy, particularly in relation to diversification. In this study, our main aim was to understand conditions of starting and growing of this business. Moreover, we would like to understand current fragilities and attempts to adapt the economy of the territory. In this way, our students and we have chosen this area in relation to the economic and historical weight of its activity. The organization of field trips and survey was conducted in a comprehensive approach perspective. Therefore, we took account parameters working in this territory, such as strategies, psychologies (individual and collective), networks and identities. Human dimensions are strong, especially in discourses, and our main result is a better understanding of the local situation, with comparisons to close cases (Corrèze, Creuse). Furthermore, the quality of the geographical analysis provides working relations with the stakeholders. Key words: declining rural areas, residential care facilities, disabled people, territorial capital, local development. Introduction for developing health sector. The total population is Marvejols is a small town (about 5,000 inhabitants low in a French perspective: about 9,000 inhabitants in 20141) located in the département of Lozère, a (2014) in the urban area of Marvejols (municipalities French administrative level (figure 1). In this case, are underlined on figure 2) and about 5,300 in the separating town and département is impossible, a municipalities around (La Canourgue, Saint-Germain large part of issues is so close. Lozère is located du Teil...). in the South part of Massif Central, an old massif Over decades disabled people were considered as consisting of several mountain ranges and plateaus. a new opportunity, especially in this South-Western This département is considered as one of the most part of Lozère. However, nowadays, the situation is rural in France, in relation to its high rate of farmers more complex. Changes affect this health business, and low population, the lowest with less than 77,000 like new competition with other départements, and inhabitants in 2014 (Kourdo, 2017), while the median local authorities try to diversify the offer, for instance, population of French départements is about 525,000 by attracting and accompanying new households with in 2009. Moreover, Lozère is too much isolated to business micro-projects. Otherwise, communication benefit from urban influence, despite the fact that a policies work on image and attractiveness, for motorway, the A 75, has been built to open up Massif example, a ‘welcoming territory’ or ‘an exceptional Central. Certainly, it participates in development living environment’ according to a leaflet of Gévaudan- process but the daily road traffic stays low. Lozère Association, an official organization. Then, we Within a specific cognitive and collective context have to separate official discourse and reality. (Giddens, 1991), local players built a collective action process (Chignier-Riboulon, 2014). People Materials and Methods with disabilities appeared a resource for stakeholders, One of the research focuses on our laboratory is the developing a type of health economy. In the beginning study of marginalized areas, especially rural, or small taking people (children overall) from towns and cities towns in rural areas. Therefore, Marvejols presents was a tradition, but since the late 1960s, it became a parameters (economic, social…) of marginalization political and economic strategy to counterbalance the and decades of endogenous regeneration. In human population decline and the weakness of agriculture. sciences, results depend, for a large part, on human In this paper, we analyze Marvejols region more dimensions, linked to territorial, historical… relations precisely. Our geographical perimeter includes both (Ray, 1998, for instance). These ones guide perceptions the small urban area2 of Marvejols (figure 2) and the of development and, more widely, the building close municipalities linked by a strategic network of a future. In this way, collective and individual 1 Demographical data are taken from national census, organized by INSEE, the French national agency for statistics. 2 This name has been given by INSEE. It takes the commuting relations between the centre (Marvejols) and the peripherical municipalities when at least 40% of the working population works in the centre. 166 RESEARCH FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT 2017, VOLUME 2 THE DISABLED PEOPLE, A TOOL FOR A RURAL RE-DEVELOPMENT THE CASE OF MARVEJOLS (LOZÈRE, FRANCE) Franck Chignier-Riboulon, Mauricette Fournier Clermont-Ferrand " Clermont-Ferrand " Corrèze A 75 Corrèze Cantal A 75 Haute-Loire Cantal Haute-Loire Lozère Aveyron Lozère Aveyron Gard Gard " Hérault Montpellier " Marseille Hérault Montpellier " Marseille Ü 0 25 5"0 km 0 25 UMR Te5r0ritokirmes ÜChignier Riboulon F., Langlois E. - 2017 Figure 1 : Lozère, a French inner periphery UMR Territoires Chignier Riboulon F., Langlois E. - 2017 The political cutting of MaFsisgiuf rcee n1t r: aLlozère, a French inner periphery Highway A 75 The political cutting of Massif central Highway A 75 Figure 1. Lozère, a French inner periphery. psychologies are central. Then, even if most of human way. For understanding the current weight and logics behaviours have been studied and classified, with their of the disability business, first we chose a fieldwork. evolution steps, it is very difficult to propose models, Marvejols was probably the best, in relation to the because geographical contexts modify analysis. In key role played by this economic branch. Second, we this study, our main result is the improvement of the prepared the fieldwork and a survey. The survey was understanding of area, for providing better advice to prepared to get information from different types of stakeholders. The second result is helping our students players on the ground. We have conducted this work to keep analytic distance in research or professional in a twofold direction: the first aim was to confront RESEARCH FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT 2017, VOLUME 2 167 CLEMRMOANORTNSPTE-FILLELLRIERRAND CLEMRMOANORTNSPTE-FILLELLRIERRAND THE DISABLED PEOPLE, A TOOL FOR A RURAL RE-DEVELOPMENT THE CASE OF Franck Chignier-Riboulon, Mauricette Fournier MARVEJOLS (LOZÈRE, FRANCE) To Clermont-Fd St-Léger-de-Peyre AntrenasTo Clermont-Fd Servières ! St-Léger-de-Peyre Lachamp Antrenas# Servières Lachamp St-Laurent-de-Muret !# ! # St-Laurent-de-Muret ! !# # (! Marvejols !!\#! (!k# Marvejols#!k # Montrodat Gabrias !!\!G kG# Montrodat #(!!k # Gabrias !GG !#! Les Salces ! ( !#! Les Salces ! !! Chirac AUBRAC Palhers! MARGERIDE ! Chirac AUBRAC Palhers! GrèzesMARGERIDE Grèzes Barjac Le-Monastier- St-Bonnet- Mende To ! Pin-Moriès de-Chirac Barjac Le-Monastier- St-Bonnet- Mende To ! Pin-Moriès de-Chirac Cultures St-Germain- du-Teil Les Salelles Cultures St-Germain- ! Les Salelles du-TeilG k !! Esclanedes G ! k Esclanedes Chanac ! G CAUSSES ! Chanac ! G ! CAUSSES La Canourgue Banassac k La Canourgue kG Banassac k kG 0 1,25 2,5 5 Km To Montpellier Chignier-Riboulon & J. Chadeyron, 2017 Cartographers : F. 0 1,25 2,5 5 Km FigureTo 2Montpellier : Medico-social facilities in Marvejols mountainous region Chignier-Riboulon & J. Chadeyron, 2017 Cartographers : F. k Ambulance Figure 2 : Medico-social facilitiesMunicipalities in Marvejols of urban mountainous region Motorway Chirac area of Marvejols ! Center for disabled adults k Ambulance Municipalities of urban (! Disabled youth center MotorwayMain road Chirac area of Marvejols ! Center for disabled adults Elevation (in m) \ School of social work (! Disabled youth center Main road G Pharmacy Elevation (in m) \ School of social work # Other facilities 0 600 800 1000 1200 1700 G Pharmacy # Other facilities Figure 2. Medico-social0 600 facilities800 1000 in 1200Marvejols1700 mountainous region. data (mainly from INSEE and from FINESS3, the small enterprises. More broadly, residents and database of the Ministry for Social Affairs) with local shopkeepers of the city centre were interviewed. observation; the second was in relation to the survey Interviews were semi-open. For officials and managers, to get discourses and feelings on the current situation their duration was from 45 minutes to more than one and future evolution. Then, the survey was built in hour and a half. Interviews were shorter for inhabitants a qualitative perspective, focused mainly on people and shopkeepers, about 10 to 20 minutes. For the involved in local development. Those are various: first group, questions can be summarized in three politicians, employees of public local structures categories: the career and life paths of the interviewee, working for development and planning, managers