Chapter 4 Public Space Management and Public Transport Qua lity-Vectors of Gentrifi cation : Six Parisian Case Studies Vincent Kaufmann Marie-Paule Thomas Luca Pattaroni fdrdme Chenal lntroduction The aim of the present chapter is to highlight the circumstances under which public trans- port and urban public space management can be either vectors ofgentrification or serye to consolidate the social diversity ofa neighborhood. Several recent studies indicate that the elements surrounding the development of gentrification vary according to location (Buder and Lees, 2005; Lee, 2003). Howevel instead ofreferring to morphological diversity, the studies tend to stress the importance of the social qualities ofthe immediate environment. Consequently, if we are to develop the main diferential, we must first highlight the material qualities of the built environment. Tim Butler (2007), using London as a reference, cites the internal differences within the middle class in terms of their residential strategies and spatial expressions in the choice of various gentrified neighborhoods. Other researchers have made similar observations, such as the Brussels case study by Criekingen and Decroly (2003) or the Authier case study (1998) ofthe rehabilitated historical center oflyons. The latter particularly illustrates that each population group, or those that have chosen to reside in these areas, is distinguished by its unique desires vis-l-vis its neighborhood and leaves its own specifrc mark on the area. In this context, the excellence of public transport and the quality of urban ameni- ties are usually seen as factors that are likely to reinforce gentrifrcation. However, should one generalize this statement? Under what conditions will reduced car traffic influence residential traiectories? Under what conditions do such improvements generate a rise in property value? The focus of our analysis is the lle-de-France (Greater Paris region). Several major trends reflect the gentrification of Paris: falling population numbers since 1950 (in the period between the 1954 and 1999 censuses, the city of Paris lost a quarter of its perma-