Abstract
The French suburbs, or banlieues, have long been associated with marginalization and peripheralization, characterized by unemployment, a high proportion of ethnic minority populations and low education attainment levels. Since 2000, the ‘crisis’ of the banlieue has been addressed through a policy of ‘social mixing’ which aims to promote mixed communities in certain neighbourhoods, to dilute the ‘problematic elements’ of the suburbs. This ‘social sustainability fix’ however has had mixed results. Questions can be raised over whether a policy based on increasing a neighbourhood’s social mix is an appropriate sustainability fix for the suburbs, and whether it has actually resulted in the outcomes that were intended. Rather than encouraging social integration, it is argued here that the policy of social mixing reinforces segregation and has done little to tackle inequalities and social exclusion. We suggest that there are alternative solutions to the challenges of fostering social sustainability in the suburbs, which could be implemented in partnership with citizens and neighbourhoodbased groups (associations) that would be more effective in addressing social sustainability solutions in the future.
Highlights
In May 2018, France’s President Macron launched a new programme to tackle disadvantage and deprivation in the French suburbs, or banlieue
We suggest that there are alternative solutions to the challenges of fostering social sustainability in the suburbs, which could be implemented in partnership with citizens and neighbourhood-based groups, that would be more effective in addressing social sustainability solutions in the future
Since 2000, a policy of social mixing has been in place, encouraging social housing to be built in wealthy municipalities where there is a dearth, and implementing a policy of demolition in disadvantaged areas, with rebuilding of mixed tenancy housing, to encourage mixed communities and social integration
Summary
In May 2018, France’s President Macron launched a new programme to tackle disadvantage and deprivation in the French suburbs, or banlieue. Shirazi and Keivani (2017) highlight the diverse meanings and conceptualizations of the term social sustainability, including identifying seven key aspects that studies of social sustainability focus upon: cultural development and diversity (e.g., Polèse & Stren, 2000), procedural quality (Koning, 2002), urban policy (City of Vancouver, 2005), physical/non-physical aggregation (Dempsey, Brown, & Bramley, 2012), well-being (Bacon, Cochrane, & Woodcraft, 2012), equity and democracy (Murphy, 2012), and capacity building (Colantonio, 2009) Of these seven themes, cultural development and diversity aligns most closely with the policy objective of creating mixed communities, integrating diverse groups in a just and equitable way, with Polèse and Stren The following section explores alternatives to this ‘sustainability fix’ related to social sustainability, while the conclusions draw out lessons from the French case for the North American context
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