Dealing with energy crises: Working and living arrangements in peri-urban France

This article aims to show how households living in peri-urban areas in France adapt their housing and commuting costs to the context of energy and economic crises, and what this reveals about the possibility of changing lifestyles. The article is based on the results of a study carried out in 2012-2013 when oil prices were at their peak. It examines the everyday life of individuals in order to gain some appreciation of the terms of the developments in the context of vulnerabilization of households in the peri-urban setting, and the accompanying obligation to change lifestyle. The conclusion discusses the implications of the results for public policy and the role of the employers to the adoption of alternative practices.