The assemblage of railway network restructuring and urban redevelopment policies. Discussing the splintering urbanism thesis in the case of Clichy Batignolles

The classic urban question of the relationships between network infrastructures and socio-spatial forms is on the agenda again due to the reforms faced by the infrastructure sectors since the 80s in Europe. The splintering urbanism thesis established by Graham and Marvin offers a theoretical framework to grasp these changing relationships, establishing links between neo-liberal reforms of network infrastructures, fragmenting practices of urban development and polarizing trends within cities. This chapter contributes to the discussion of these changes through the case study of an urban redevelopment project situated in the core of the Parisian metropolis, defined as an assemblage between real estate handover strategies of railway firms and urban policies. Describing the infrastructural system, the spatial design and the area programming of Clichy Batignolles development plan, we will not observe convergent trends and pre-given relationships, but context-related processes and outcomes of urban development. Rather than a fragmenting process, this case study shows that it is the social mix, spatial continuity and eco-friendly atmosphere of the urban development that could fuel social change within this city.