The new intra‐urban dynamics: Suburbanisation and functional specialisation in French cities

Abstract This article examines the relationships between the employment sub-urbanisation from central cities towards their suburbs, and the process of intraurban specialisation that occurred simultaneously in the fifty largest French metropolitan areas. A methodology is proposed to identify urban subcentres and to analyse the effects of the intra-urban specialisations on suburbanisation patterns. We conclude that the specialisation of both subcentres and central cities has a significant effect on suburbanisation rates. Lastly, an intra-metropolitan shift/share analysis provides additional insights into the employment dynamics of central cities and suburbs during the last twenty years.