Le retour des villes

Drawing on the literature on urban decline, on the one hand, and on the renewed attractiveness of urban centres on the other, this paper addresses the demographic evolution of Swiss cities in recent decades. In the 1960s, most experienced a decrease in population, interpreted as an indication of a lack of appeal, which many observers consider ineluctable. Nonetheless, since 2000, a new period of growth (reurbanisation) has been observed. Taking into account the various components of the population evolution, this paper identifies the mechanisms and economic, demographic, socio-cultural and political factors at the origin of this « return of cities »