Making New with Old in France: urban change through housing renewal in two Parisian districts

International audienceAfter the Second World War, slum clearance and redevelopment programmes in France led to the building of large social housing estates on the outskirts of major cities. A policy of rehabilitating older housing was introduced in the 1970s, and the National Housing Agency (ANAH) was created to promote the improvement of older private dwellings. Meanwhile, one view emphasised the heritage value of older housing and its traditional function in the housing market; another wanted to restore the appearance of older buildings, while rehousing their residents elsewhere. The abandonment in the 1970s of the construction of large social housing estates and the focus on poverty in urban areas supported policies for the renewal of older private housing, and of the towers and blocks of the social housing estates; and aimed for less segregation and a better social mix in housing. The implementation of these policies is shown through case studies of two housing renewal areas in Paris: La Goutte d’Or in the 18th arrondissement, an area of poor quality late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century working-class housing with a large minority ethnic population; and Porte Pouchet in the 17th arrondissement, a 1950s–60s social housing development of towers and blocks close to the city boundary. The two areas illustrate different approaches to housing renewal and their contrasting outcomes