Relevance and effectiveness of a policy for freely accessible local sports facilities: The example of the city of Lille

In France, the programming of outdoor sports and physical activity spaces seems to be constantly evolving. Various facilities such as skate parks, city stadiums, street workout zones, fitness areas, multisport courts, and fitness trails are designed to encourage people to engage in sports and/or physical activities. Between 2018 and 2020, the state—via the CNDS (National Center for the Development of Sport) and then the National Sports Agency—funded 467 local sports facilities for a total amount of 19.9 million euros. The majority of the funded projects were multisport courts (72 percent). More recently, the “5,000 Sports Fields” plan was introduced to support this growing dynamic. To shed light on this subject, it is necessary to structure an analytical research approach. In this approach, we will attempt to identify the specific uses of freely accessible sports and/or physical activity spaces in the Lille metropolitan area (access methods, attendance, duration and types of practice, user characteristics, motivations for participation) in order to identify the role(s) they play today in the renewal of forms of urban expression (Augustin 1999). Observing practices and listening to needs play a fundamental role when it comes to diagnosing, programming, designing, and evaluating public spaces. In our study, we conducted in situ ethnographic observations, administered questionnaires, and conducted semi-structured interviews with elected officials and the technical staff in charge of setting up these facilities. A more qualitative approach also makes it possible to identify, through discussion with the supply providers (state, local authorities, private sector), the objectives assigned to these projects, the main constraints, and the new trends in this dynamic of supply.