Temporalities and Services in Urban Areas: The Case of Angers

Based on the enquiries carried out in the 2006 autumn in Angers, this research attempts to define temporalities in this urban area, notably those of retail and services. Can the affluence of people in some urban areas at particular times of the day be explained by varying temporalities in activities (for example working hours), those of visitors ("consumers" of services, tourists, strollers) ? Are recent changes in working conditions (flexitime, shortened working hours, part-time employment) increasing this affluence ? Consequently, what adaptations or improvements should be contemplated by the political or town actors involved ? Is the behaviour of working people different from the one of those who are not submitted to strict time constraints (students, retired people, tourists, unemployed) ? Can these differences be noticed in Angers urban area ? Taking the experiments carried out in other towns into consideration, how can the public and private actors involved manage and act on these temporalities (legislation planning, measures, incitements...)?