Living zone
A living zone is a human geographical and spatial planning concept and term used in France that designates the smallest territory where residents have access to the same range of common essential everyday services and facilities, such as personal services, commerce, education, health, sports, recreation, culture and transport. A living zone can alternatively be called a living area, a living basin, a life basin, a population catchment area, a pool of life, etc.Importance
Thinking of a territory in terms of a collection of living zones is valuable for planners seeking to promote social and economic development. It is grounded in the assumption that a robust geographical and social connectedness improves quality of life and leads to better decision-making at local levels. Parallel to the idea of commune as a fundamental unit of direct democracy, the idea of a living zone, regardless of its size, represents a sense of attachment or belonging and a perceived capacity to influence local decisions and outcomes. According to the Interministerial Delegation for Territorial Development and Regional Attractiveness in France, a living zone exhibits "geographical, social, cultural, and economic coherence, expressing homogeneous needs in terms of activities and services."Types of living zones
In France, the latest zoning of living zones as of 2022 performed by the country's National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies has identified a total of 1,707 living zones structuring the national territory of France. Among these, 1,256 are situated in rural areas, which contain nearly a third of the country's population. Insee has grouped living zones into three categories: Dense Urban, Urban of Intermediate Density and Rural, itself divided into Peri-urban Rural and Non peri-urban Rural living zones.Ranges of facilities and remote population
Insee has also categorized the essential services and facilities into three ranges: Proximity range ; Intermediate range ; and Superior range. Residents are considered remote when their average access-time for these ranges go beyond 6 minutes, 12 minutes and 21 minutes by car, respectively. In France, an overall 10% of the population are considered remote by this standard, although the remoteness is much more pronounced in the non peri-urban rural living zones, where a percentage equal to or greater than 28% of the population are considered remote depending on the range of facilities.