Vincent BITTOUN

THESIS PROPOSAL

Low-Emission Zone – Mobility (ZFE-m) as a Public Health Policy Tool in Occitanie: A Sociopolitical Approach in the Context of the Anthropocene.

Low-Emission Zones (ZFE-m) are a flexible policy tailored to each region, involving the gradual phasing out of the most polluting vehicles (including private and personal vehicles) in the downtown areas of metropolitan areas with more than 150,000 residents. 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 contrast to the implementation of this policy, this perspective—which draws on both political science and ethnology—allows for a better understanding of the dynamic processes at play among the various actors and non-human agents (local government employees, technicians at regulatory agencies, legislators, laws, government agencies, users…), as well as a more nuanced understanding 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 its form and content. It will therefore be important to examine this sociopolitical subject through an anthropological lens.

Thesis Advisor: Prof. Laurent VISIER