An unwelcome user? Or how to negotiate the use of a risky space

Hervé Flanquart

Journal of Risk Research, 2012, vol. 15, issue 10, 1261-1279

Abstract: Taking as a starting point the distinction between danger and risk, with the latter being seen as a particular form of the former, in that the probability of its occurrence and the potential damage it causes can be clearly identified (and thus be insured against), questions can be asked about how the shift is made from one to the other, and what events may facilitate this change. This issue is here treated in the context of a sandy beach and cove which were formed as a result of renovation work on a harbor and which, spontaneously, became places frequented for pleasure and leisure activities. Initially, the dangerous industrial sites nearby were neglected as sources of risks, because the only risks identified by the users and the authorities were drowning or traffic accidents. Then, in the 1980s, various major industrial accidents occurred in Europe and the rest of the world, leading to greater awareness among national and European political authorities concerning the risks inherent to industrial production. This awareness led to directives and legislation reinforcing the regulations governing dangerous industrial sites and restricting access to places exposed to such risks. There is thus a shift from dangers that are little known or taken into account, to risks that are socially constructed, which the local authorities must manage according to the law, while also respecting the inhabitants' great desire to continue frequenting places to which they feel really attached. Over 30 years of history of the seawall and cove thus also show the difficulty in managing a territory when the authorities and users do not have the same perception of what the risks are and how to deal with them.

Date: 2012
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DOI: 10.1080/13669877.2011.609316

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