Revenge of the villages

L’The opposition between town and country is outdated. Attracted by the dream of "the city in the country", peri-urban dwellers now represent a quarter of the French population. In some cities, they have even become the majority. This silent revolution is transforming the countryside, where pavilions, shopping centres and business parks dominate the landscape. It is also changing the social geography of France: very often, the working classes live in the centre, while the middle classes find themselves in the peri-urban areas, where they enjoy the advantages of both the city and the countryside. After having been victims of the rural exodus, the villages took their revenge.