Abstract
Port planning mainly consists of the construction of new equipments adapted to the evolution of ships and shipping traffic. In France, it was the exclusive domain of the engineers from the French Civil Engineering School (Ponts et Chaussées), who planned transport infrastructure according to technical-financial parameters. However, since the mid-1990’s, new demands from local populations regarding environmental concerns and quality of life, as well as the increase of conflicts relating to land use, have resulted in the French legislator establishing public debates about important infrastructure projects, to compare the different points of view of the project owners, the local populations, the politicians… before making decisions.