Growing traffic and the development of peripheral urban planning have generated a series of problems in town centers which, in the absence of a long-term overall policy, are liable to lead to their decline. The authors review the studies which have been undertaken in this field. The first part of the article presents the main problems encountered by town centers. The second part is devoted to the means of action related to the transport infrastructures and their operation, in particular in the following fields: organization of roadway network, parking, public transportation, areas reserved for pedestrians. In the third part, the authors propose a medium and long-term methodology for studying the problems of town centers, the aim of which is make the proposed means of action coherent with urban development goals.
Abstract