Abstract

At a time when physical inactivity has been elevated to the status of public issue, the interaction between public health and physical and sports activities has been strengthened. Against this backdrop, cities are being urged to do their utmost to encourage the population to adopt an active lifestyle. As their policies depend closely on arrangements between local actors, the question is raised as to the strategies and interests in presence, and the forms of governance devised to collectively address the issue of physical inactivity. The aim of the article is to provide a detailed analysis of a local sphere of interdependency (the city of Bordeaux) in order to contribute to debate on the complex ways in which public action is structured, by considering the “local” level as an object of research in its own right. In order to appraise the dynamics at work on the territory, 27 semi-directive interviews were conducted with the representatives of this municipal authority (elected officials and personnel from various administrative departments) and associative and professional operators working in the healthcare, sports, social action and education sectors.