THE IMPLEMENTATION DYNAMICS OF THE ÉCOQUARTIER PROGRAMME IN FRANCE : Temporal, Spatial, and Scale Perspectives on Sustainable Urban Development

Sammanfattning

This study investigated the implementation dynamics of the French ÉcoQuartier programme by analysing its temporal evolution, spatial distribution, and project-scale characteristics between 2013 and 2023. The purpose was to understand how ÉcoQuartier projects developed over time, how evenly they diffused across French territories, whether project size influenced development timelines, and what these patterns revealed about the institutionalisation of sustainable neighbourhood development. The analysis was based on secondary quantitative data from the national ÉcoQuartier database and focused on 100 projects that reached the Delivered or Confirmed certification stages. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was applied, combining descriptive statistics, spatial analysis, correlation analysis, and non-parametric tests, complemented by qualitative interpretation of policy and governance literature. The results showed that programme activity fluctuated rather than followed a linear growth trajectory, while the increasing share of Stage 4 projects indicated institutional consolidation. Spatial distribution was highly uneven, with strong concentrations in metropolitan and economically dynamic departments, whereas development timelines were relatively consistent across territories, averaging approximately 12.5 years. Population size displayed a moderate positive relationship with development time, while surface area had a weaker and less consistent effect. Overall, the findings suggested that the ÉcoQuartier programme was characterised by consolidation rather than uniform territorial expansion, and that implementation dynamics were shaped more by social and organisational complexity than by physical scale.