The new intra‐urban dynamics: Suburbanisation and functional specialisation in French cities *

Abstract This article examines the relationships between the employment sub‐urbanisation from central cities towards their suburbs, and the process of intraurban specialisation that occurred simultaneously in the fifty largest French metropolitan areas. A methodology is proposed to identify urban subcentres and to analyse the effects of the intra‐urban specialisations on suburbanisation patterns. We conclude that the specialisation of both subcentres and central cities has a significant effect on suburbanisation rates. Lastly, an intra‐metropolitan shift/share analysis provides additional insights into the employment dynamics of central cities and suburbs during the last twenty years.