Loos-en-Gohelle : a laboratory of sustainable development

• Jean-François CARON
  Mayor, Loos-en-Gohelle
  Regional councillor, Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, northern France
  

Summary

Jean-François Caron was born in a mining area which was also a bastion of trade unionism. Although he inherited an awareness of social responsibility from his father, a self-management activist, he chose ecology - not the most obvious choice in his native region - as his platform. In view of the urgent global climate problem, he considered it necessary to devise a new model for social life and development, and to introduce new methods. In 2001, he succeeded his father as mayor of Loos-en-Gohelle, and launched a project for a sustainable town, an idea which he is pursuing enthusiastically. This project is focussed on three interlinked factors: the environment ; the economy linked to sustainable development ; and social cohesion. Because of the surprising results of this project, his town has become a reference point, and Caron was re-elected mayor with 82.1 % of the votes. He is now considering how to replicate these experiences elsewhere, and to benefit from the ideas and methods which have emerged from this work.

Summary translated from French by Rachel MARLIN.

• The entire article was written by Yves DOUGIN.

To obtain this article, you can :

• download it for free in French (PDF help) or contact ecopar@paris.ensmp.fr (Reference EV021209).

The entire article appears in French in the Journal de l'École de Paris du management N° 83.