| Summary: | In recent years, the predominant impression has been that France is facing a process of de-industrialisation. The prevailing crisis, the media spotlight on businesses relocating, the closure of companies and a decrease in the value of labour are the causes. In order to verify the decline of the industrial sector, we carried out observations on its development in small towns (2,000–20,000 inhabitants) in regions with low population levels, away from major urban and industrial centres. Whether at the heart of industrial basins, beneficiaries of the 1950s-1960s process of industrial decentralization, or located in rural areas, small towns have always had highly industrial characteristics. We felt it was therefore appropriate to study them at a time when industry is experiencing some upheaval. We also shed some light on a space not often considered from an industrial perspective yet whose entrepreneurial qualities have withstood the crisis better than in other regions. Lastly, our work involved some degree of prospection : we offer reflections on the future of small towns in the southern Massif Central in the context of the four scenarios developed by G. Le Blanc for 2040 on behalf of DATAR.
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