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Could the long term trend towards urban extension be affected by the energy issue ? Higher energy prices and greater environmental concerns, especially regarding greenhouse gases, could undermine one of the forces driving periurbanisation, namely the simple and easy use of cars. A survey conducted in three municipalities in the periphery of Ile-de-France (the greater Paris region) indicates that energy issues are indeed leading to potentially important changes in the residential domain. In contrast, as far as mobility is concerned, households do not see any possible alternative to car use, at least in the near future. It would appear that they are willing to incur very significant costs to preserve the advantages of living in low density areas.