Clare Foran unravels the relationship between misguided '70s-era planning efforts and ongoing racial tension in France.
A small town not far from the northern coast of France, Val-de-Reuil was established as one of nine New Towns intended to transform the overcrowding and suburban sprawl that plagued French cities in the late '60s and early '70s. Forty years on, however, it has yet to deliver on its promises.
"Today it’s one of the poorest cities in France," writes Foran, who formerly taught English there. "Rows of four and five-story, low-rent apartment complexes line the streets with balconies jutting out from their concrete facades... There is no discernible city center. The architecture of the buildings is modern, but not cutting edge and the city has a stark, uniform look to it. In a country that prides itself on history and tradition, Val-de-Reuil seems out of place – a town of boxy, geometric construction in the middle of the French countryside."
And while the reasons for its failure are worth considering (high unemployment due to industry-worker mismatch; a weak tax base due to socioeconomic segregation), more troubling is the way that such projects have reinforced racial tensions in a nation whose immigration policy is built on a platform of integration, "which calls for assimilation into French society, in speech, dress, culture, and custom."
"Val-de-Reuil isn’t a typical French town. To dismiss the city as an anomaly, however, would be a mistake. Val-de-Reuil embodies a central irony of French urban planning policy. City planners have built up isolated urban enclaves, like the Paris suburbs and the New Towns, which keep the country’s immigrant population separate from the rest of society, at the same time that the government calls for integration."
Foran recalls seeing these same tensions erupt in her own classroom, and hearing how minority children received them firsthand: "'You’re lucky that you live in the U.S.," [said one 12-year-old of Algerian descent]. 'Don’t you like living in France?' I asked. 'No,' he replied with grim certainty. 'People are racist here. They take one look and decide they don’t like you.'"
FULL STORY: How France Built Inequality Into Its Cities
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.