Landscapes of Globalization in Ordinary Towns: Logistics and Trade Apparatus

Résumé En

The framework for our discussion is based on the observation of a paradoxical situation: the areas of logistics and of transport, although 'gigantic and spectacular', 'go unseen' and 'are non-controversial'. Little attention has been paid in the social sciences to these areas of logistics and to the 'merchandise' section of transport. Yet, they shape our contemporary urban environments on a large scale and in-depth. This is, to an extent, the initial hypothesis for the study we been carried over the past two years in logistics spaces of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France. More specifically, the study involves the Delta 3 multimodal logistics platform, situated in Dourges, which is part of the 'Communauté d'Agglomération d'Hénin-Carvin' (CAHC - the Hénin-Carvin urban community), on the southern edge of the Lille conurbation. \textcopyright 2017 Urbanities.