STUDY DISSERTATION | Evaluating co-constructed sustainable territorial attractiveness strategies

SUMMARY

Aurélie OMPRARET - Master 2 "Attractiveness and New Territorial Marketing" - Academic year 2020/2021

Initially born in the 1970s, the main aim of attractiveness policies was for states to open up to international investment, leading over the years to a "race for foreign investment" and genuine competition between territories. Since then, local authorities have put in place attractiveness policies to attract investors, through various means such as the creation of infrastructures or the introduction of tax incentives. This approach, largely undertaken by local authorities and development agencies, is not only beneficial for the local economy. Indeed, today, we can inevitably observe that some of them are negatively impacted by excessive attractiveness. In the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, this is particularly true of the Bordeaux metropolis. This is particularly true of certain business sectors, such as tourism, which is increasingly becoming "over-tourism", generating pollution, inflation, site degradation and discontent among local populations. What's more, some areas no longer have the capacity to accommodate incoming flows, as their resources are unable to meet the needs of the individuals and activities already present on the territory. Added to this is the worrying situation of global warming, mentioned in the latest IPCC report, which warns of sudden and rapid climate change.

In response, the notion of sustainability in economic development has recently come to the fore. Some regions are questioning the impact that attractiveness can have on their own current and future resources. And yet, it is still difficult to correlate economic development and sustainable development, which can demonstrate significantly different objectives, particularly from the point of view of the various stakeholders who make up each of these two subjects. However, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region is a forerunner in this field: through its Neo Terra roadmap, the local authority is committed to supporting public and private players in their energy and ecological transition by 2030. Today, to achieve sustainable territorial attractiveness, it is necessary to bring together all the players, and to build together, so that everyone finds both their own interest and a common one. This raises the following question: To what extent do co-constructed assessment processes promote sustainable territorial economic attractiveness? This paper will begin by defining the notion ofterritorial attractiveness, which is increasingly integrating the concept of sustainability. Secondly, it will look at public policy evaluation processes as a means of supporting the development of sustainable territorial attractiveness. Finally, it will present an analysis of sustainable territorial attractiveness in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and its opportunities in terms of co-constructing the evaluation of sustainable territorial attractiveness.