Résumé
In both Quito & Tours, certain urban spaces appear marginal because they are marked by many different forms of risks (natural, health, social). This article investigates the links between risks & urban margins, by means of comparison between urban environments in North & South. Although the context is a priori far different between the capital of Ecuador & Tours, a medium-sized French town, the north-western slopes of Quito & the urban banks of the River Loire have in common the fact of being subject to the vicissitudes of the hydro-climatic regime. These zones are spaces that carry natural risks, & are still more marked by other, social, risks & by an imagined relationship with nature that distinguish them from the rest of the city. Beyond these representations that tally relatively well, examination of public policies reveals that they have the same objective: better integration of these spaces with the city as a whole. However, differences remain, linked with constraints of the site, to urban growth & major political issues. Figures, Photos, References. Adapted from the source document.