" Empty lands " ? Social representations of contaminated brownfields in France

Résumé 0

What first comes to mind when you think of contaminated brownfields? The information and ideas we hold about brownfield redevelopment can strongly influence discussions on this issue, the impacts we associate with it, and the types of regulation we view as appropriate. This study makes is based on the social representations theory, a process to decode reality by analyzing social representations associated with contaminated brownfield sites in France and isolate what influences individual's behaviors and acceptance of brownfield management programs today in France. It proceeds in particular with textual analyzes from data collected through open-ended questions from a cross-sectional survey administered among 803 individuals living nearby a contaminated brownfield site. Results show awareness regarding potential contamination of brownfields sites. However, this pollution is associated to visible elements but is disconnected from main pollutants the can be found on the site. We also observe regional disparities regarding contaminated brownfields representations, which are linked to historical activities in former industrial regions. This allows us to drawn some lines of recommendation for communication and management of future brownfield redevelopment programs.