Urban renewal in France by Clemence PINEL volunteer at Merhav - the Movement for Israeli Urbanism (www.miu.org.il) Presented as part of the Urban Empowerment Lab that seeks to develop tools for the transformation of aging and decaying Israeli public housing complexes - built in the 1950s-1970s - into places with a high quality of life.

1. Clémence PINEL
Urban renewal
A look at French experiments

2. Urban Renewal in France
What national guidelines?

3. On a national level, what guidelines?
 Grenelle de
l’Environnement, a Round
Table, 2007.
 Objective: key points of
government policy on
ecological and sustainable
development issues.
 Method: bring civilians and
public service
representatives together.

4. Concrete ideas on urbanism
 “Ecocités”: thinking inside
 Development of Plan a city, harmonization of
Ville Durable: neighborhoods.
 Holistic approach.
 “Ecoquartiers”: in a
neighborhood.
 Green transportation,
densities, social mix
and mix uses, urban  “Nature en ville”: thinking
forms. green spaces in
neighborhoods.

5. Identification of neighborhoods, ZUS
 Since 1996, identifications of neighborhoods
considered sensitive.
 In 2000, 751 ZUS.
 Criteria: unemployment, economic
development, access to health system,
security, school results…
 ONZUS evaluates those neighborhoods.

6. Statistics
Unemployment
 ONZUS
highlights
main
inequalities
between ZUS
and France.
Compared unemployment between ZUS and France

7. ANRU, the National Agency for Urban
Renewal
 Since 2003, in charge of the programs of
urban renovation in ZUS.
 530 neighborhoods, 4 millions inhabitants
 Objectives:
 Develop public buildings,
 Improve urban spaces,
 Rehabilitate / demolish / reorganize social
housing.

8. Urban Renewal
Villiers-le-Bel
Les Carreaux

9. Villiers-le-Bel, Les Carreaux

10. Les Carreaux
What neighborhood? To what urban
renewal project?

11. Villiers-le-Bel
Les Carreaux
Urban population:
•VLB 27411
inhabitants;
•Les Carreaux, Train station
4570 inhabitants
Surface:
•VLB 7300 dunam,
•Les Carreaux 225
dunam

12. What neighborhood?
 Built from 1958 to 1962
 1595 housing units,
mainly social housing
 What kind of buildings?
• 6 towers of 9 to 11 floors
• 2/3 of buildings are slobs
of 4 floors

13. Statistics
Les Carreaux Villiers-le-Bel Paris Region France
Unemployed 19.7% 19.2% 6.8% 7.8%
(2008)
Not graduated 31.4% 28.9% 18% Not given
(1999)
Under 25 Y 44% 40.8% 31.3% 31.2%
(1999)
Foreigners 25% 20.8% 15.4% 5.8%
(1999)
Social housing 97.5% 45% 27.4% Not given
Families not 52.1% 45.4% 35.5% 47.7%
taxed on the
income (2004)
Median Income 9337 11198 18812 18129
per year, Euros
Social security 17% 14.4% 6.3% 6.1%
CMU (2006)
Numbers of high 0.04 0.19 1.24 0.69
rank workers per
worker

14. What current situation ?
 Even though disadvantages in the neighborhood:
 Housing of small sizes
 And their relative obsolescence
 Urban issues: no mix uses, homogeneous population
 Attractiveness due to several advantages:
 Low rents
 The proximity to the train station
 The urban environment: a dynamic social life

15. Challenge
 Develop the attractiveness
of the neighborhood by :
 Connecting it to the rest
of the city
 Preventing the
degradation of buildings
 Diversifying the housing
offer
 Improve mix uses
 Reorganize public
spaces

16. For a more readable public
space
Reorganizing the streets system

17. A public space more readable
A main structure
New local streets
Pedestrian ways
Actual state Projected state

18. A new streets system
A main structure
New local streets
Pedestrian ways
 Challenge:
 aerate the space too
dense,
 easier movements,
 open the neighborhood
to the outside

19. Public spaces
Management of an alley
 Development of
green spaces Green space before renovation

20. Public buildings

21. Public buildings
 Schools
 A new medical center
 Social center for
integration
 Library

22. Diversified functions
 Develop a commercial
activity in the neighborhood
 For a local economy

23. The housing

24. Housing
 Demolitions of 401 housing units
 Rehousing
 110 housing units added
 Rehabilitations
 Privatization of the space

25. Housing offer
modified,
demolitions /
reconstructions
Demolitions
Reconstructions
 Demolitions of buildings
considered obsolete, 393
units
 Reconstructions of 510 units

26. First constructions of housing
Demolitions
 Breaking a building
in 2 to draw a street in
its middle.

27. Housing offer
modified,
reconstructions
 Reconstructions, for a
diversified housing offer
 In the rebuilt housing:
 370 correspond to social
housing,
 70 obey to free rental
conditions,
 70 are accessible to
property

28. Rehabilitations
 Rehabilitations in
the existing housing
 1202 units

29. Housing offer modified, rehabilitations
Before and after renovations of the facades
 Objectives:
 harmonize ancient
buildings with new ones,
 modernizes the image of
the neighborhood
 In accommodations: increase
the level of comfort,
according to norms
 In common spaces of
buildings, security modernity
 Works on the facades
A building’s façade before rehabilitation

30. Organization of the space: between public
and private
 For a clear demarcation
between private and public
spaces
 Fences, hurdles
surrounding buildings
 Inside private spaces,
instauration of private
parking places, green
spaces, playgrounds

31. Urban management
A new city from its conception to its
acceptance

32. Urban management
 Instate a proximity.
 Insist on Communication
 A news paper on urban
renewal
 A building dedicated to
communication to
inhabitants
 Consultation of the
inhabitants

33. Who is financing ?

34. Who is financing?
 ANRU, part of the national plan for renovation
 OSICA, company for social housing
 Département of Val d’Oise
 Region of Ile de France
 City of Villiers-le-Bel

35. Trélazé
An urban renewal project in the
neighborhood of Les Plaines

36. Les Plaines
What neighborhood?

37. Trélazé
Les Plaines
Shingles factory
Urban population:
•Trélazé, 12206 inhabitants
•Les Plaines, 3682
inhabitants, 30% Match factory
Surface:
•Trélazé, 12200 dunam
•Les Plaines 732 dunam, 6%

38. What kind of neighborhood?
 An industrial city
 Built in the 50’s-60’s,
 Until 1966, 685 units are built
 Mainly high rise housings estates
 Composed of social housings at 72%

39. Les Plaines before urban renewal

40. What current situation?
 This ancient industrial city suffered from the
desegregation of its industry
 Strong unemployment
 No mix uses and homogeneous population
 Vacancy in the housing
 No longer attractive, suffering from its bad image

41. STATISTICS
Les Plaines Trélazé Angers France
Unemployed 25.3 % 15.9 % 15.7% 7.8%
(1999)
Less than 25 Y 39.7 % 35.1 % 37.8% 31.2%
(1999)
Foreigners (1999) 11.0 % 4.9 % 3.2% 5.8%
Social housing 72 % 38.8 % 32.3% Not given
(1999)
Families not 63.1 % 45.6 % 44.6% 47.7%
imposed on the
income (1999)
Not graduates 36.3 % 29 % 17.9% Not given
(1999)
CMU(2006) 17.7 % 9.3 % Not given 6.1%
Median income 10150 14072 15790 18129
in Euros (2004)

43. Principles of the
project
 Open up the
neighborhood by a
new central way
 New public buildings
 Work on the
housing: demolitions
– reconstructions -
renovations

44. Reorganize public spaces

45. Public spaces
 Instauration of a new
square, in the center
of the neighborhood

46. A new square
Square Picasso

47. Public spaces

48. Public spaces
Avenue Mendès France, a new axis
 A North-South axis allowing
a fusion between the
neighborhoods of Trélazé
 Green spaces developed
La Coulée Verte, a green line in the neighborhood

49. Public buildings

50. New public buildings
 A new commercial center
 Schools and leisure center
 Social center welcoming
foreigners.
New school

51. The housing
A diversified and modernized offer

52. Housing
 137 housing units
demolished
 606 units rehabilitated,
 among them, 339 units
transformed to be under
free rental conditions
 109 units rebuilt (all
accessible to property)

53. Housing offer  Demolition-reconstruction
process
 New types of housing
established
Building X (17 units)
Buildings I and J (6 houses)

54. Buildings A and B (20 houses)
 Allow a social mix by a
diversified housing offer
 Renovated housings
Building Y (11 units)