"The question of urban recycling, or reuse of urban land, or urban renaissance, is high on the agenda in many developed countries as well as in developing countries. Inside Europe, it has been the subject of an important report of the ""Urban Task Force"" chaired by land Rogers of Riverside. In France, it has been the focus of a recent legislation (Loi ""SolidaritÈ et Renouvellement Urbain"") that has been passed in December 2000. However, in spite of a general consensus about the objective, the economic conditions of a reversal of the present trend towards peripheral development do not appear to apply. The economic (and also legal ) cost of recycling,, the taxation devices that apply as well as the incentives on the housing markets , especially subsidized loans, do not allow to reverse the trend. An analysis of the comparison between various forms of urban (re) development will allow to comment the policies and try to explain their failure. The report will include case studies from Germany, UK and France."