In Reunion Island the urban question has received little attention from academic research. Knowledge generated originates essentially from technical and operational institutions. Until the 1990s, the urban question was analysed essentially from the point of view of territorial management and technical problems caused by demographic growth, housing needs and employment during the rapid modernisation of the island since 1946. The regional plan of territorial management (schéma d'aménagement régional) of 1995 underestimates the urban question because the strategy of development is based on the rural activities, especially sugar cane production. Urban development is viewed as a threat to the natural and agricultural protected areas and is accepted in residual geographical sectors. Discourses and politics of local planners offer a negative picture of urban areas and neglect their importance in the economy and development of the island.