Territories and rapid transport services. Do highways, airports and high-speed trains automatically generate development? And inevitable inequalities between territories?

In the half-century since the 1970s, rapid transport networks (freeways, TGVs, airports) have progressively woven their way through of metropolitan France. Most of the networks were initially radial, with links from Paris to the regions; then networks between major cities in the regions and between these major cities and those in other countries were put into service. To what extent have the geographical choices of these networks benefited and are benefiting the development of the territories that benefit from them? And what about the territories that are far from the rapid transit networks? Answering these questions will shed light on the issues of regional planning and local development.