Vincent BITTOUN

THESIS PROPOSAL

Low-Emission Zone – Mobility (ZFE-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 flexible policy tailored to each region, involving the gradual phasing out of the most polluting vehicles (both private and commercial) in the downtown areas of cities with populations exceeding 150,000. The stated goal is to reduce air pollution in densely populated urban centers. In Occitanie, the cities of Montpellier and Toulouse are subject to this European initiative.

In addition to providing a contextual and historical comparison of the implementation of this policy, this perspective—which draws on both political science and ethnology—enables a better understanding of the dynamic processes at play among the various actors and non-human agents (local government employees, regulatory agency technicians, legislators, laws, government agencies, users…) that are currently at play, as well as a more nuanced grasp of the fabric woven through various discourses and decisions. Whether in terms of individual and social motivations or the mechanical implementation of an environmental health policy, the entire issue of the Anthropocene casts its shadow over both form and content. It will therefore be important to observe the socio-political subject through an anthropological lens.

Thesis advisor: Prof. Laurent VISIER