The authors examine France’s efforts to improve its approach to industrial risk management to promote fairness and resilience. The authors describe the traditional technocratic approach to managing industrial risk, contrasting it to the new legal framework—the Technological Risk Prevention Plan (PPRT)—introduced following a 2001 chemical plant explosion in Toulouse. This approach seeks to impose safety zones around industrial areas based on experts’ opinions and input from residents, bringing new voices into risk management.

The authors evaluate the implementation of this new legal framework in the industrial area of Dunkirk, discussing challenges due to technical complexities, competing interests, and inadequate consultation processes. They outline subsequent adjustments to local legislation to complement the PPRT and ultimately conclude that, while there are some failures, the process has encouraged fairer governance dynamics and local resilience.