Vincent BITTOUN

THESIS PROJECT

Low Emission Zone – Mobility (LEZ-M) as a public health policy tool in Occitanie: a socio-political approach in the context of the Anthropocene.

Low Emission Zones (LEZs) are a measure that can be adapted to each region, consisting of the gradual banning of the most polluting vehicles (both private and commercial) from city centers in metropolitan areas with more than 150,000 inhabitants. The stated aim is to reduce air pollution in densely populated urban centers. In Occitanie, the cities of Montpellier and Toulouse are affected by this European initiative.

In addition to providing a contextual and historical contrast to the implementation of this policy, the political science and ethnological perspective allows for a better understanding of the dynamic processes between the various actors and non-human agents (local government employees, regulatory agency technicians, legislators, laws, administrations, users, etc.) that are at play, as well as a more nuanced understanding of the fabric woven through various rhetorics and decisions. In terms of both individual and social motivations and the mechanical implementation of an environmental health policy, the whole question of the Anthropocene casts its shadow over its form and content. It will therefore be important to observe the socio-political object through an anthropological lens.

Thesis supervisor: Prof. Laurent VISIER