In France, the term banlieue (; ) refers to a suburb of a large city. Banlieues are divided into autonomous administrative entities and do not constitute part of the city proper. For instance, 80% of the inhabitants of the Paris Metropolitan Area live outside the city of Paris. Nevertheless, beginning in the 1970s, the term ''banlieue'' has taken on a particular connotation, becoming a popular word for economically-deprived suburbs featuring low-income housing projects (

HLM An habitation à loyer modéré (HLM, , ), is a form of low-income housing in France, Algeria, Senegal, and Quebec. It may be public or private, with rent subsidies. HLMs constitute 16% of all housing in France.poverty traps.

History

In France, since the establishment of the Third Republic at the beginning of the 1870s, communities beyond the city centre essentially stopped spreading their own boundaries, as a result of the extension of the larger Paris urban agglomeration. The city – which in France corresponds to the concept of the "urban unit" – does not necessarily have a correspondence with a single administrative location, and instead includes other communities that link themselves to the city centre and form the banlieues. Since annexing the banlieues of major French cities during the Second Empire period (

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

in 1852,

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

in 1858, Paris in 1860,

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

in 1865), the French communities have in effect extended their boundaries very little beyond their delimitations, and have not followed the development of the urban unit existing prior to 1870 as well as almost all large and mid-sized cities in France having a banlieue develop a ''couronne pėriurbaine'' (in English: near-urban ring). Communities in the countryside beyond the near-urban ring are regarded as being outside the city's strongest social and economic sphere of influence, and are termed ''communes périurbaines''. In either case, they are divided into numerous autonomous administrative entities. Banlieues 89, a design-led urban policy backed by the French government, renovated over 140 low-cost estates, such as Les Minguettes and the Mas du Taureau block in Vaulx-en-Velin. Improvements were made in road and rail access, cafes and shops were built, and the towers and blocks were made to look more attractive. In Vaulx-en-Velin, for instance, shops and a library were built, houses were built to make the landscape more interesting, 2,500 homes were renovated, and the blocks were repainted.

Geography of the banlieues

The word ''banlieue'' is, in formal use, a socially neutral term, designating the urbanized zone located around the city centre, comprising both sparsely and heavily populated areas. Therefore, in the Parisian metropolitan area, for example, the wealthy suburb of

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; literally 'Neuilly on Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is a commune in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in France, just west of Paris. Immediately adjacent to the city, the area is composed of mostly select residentia ...

may be referred to as a ''banlieue'' as might the poor suburb of La Courneuve. To distinguish them, Parisians refer to a ''banlieue aisée'' (in English: comfortable suburb) for

Neuilly Neuilly (, ) is a common place name in France, deriving from the male given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well ...

, and to a ''banlieue défavorisée'' (in English: disadvantaged suburb) for Clichy-sous-Bois.

Paris

The Paris region can be divided into several zones. In the northwest and the northeast, many areas are vestiges of former working-class and industrial zones, in the case of Seine-Saint-Denis and

Val-d'Oise Val-d'Oise (, "Vale of the Oise") is a department in the Île-de-France region, Northern France. It was created in 1968 following the split of the Seine-et-Oise department. In 2019, Val-d'Oise had a population of 1,249,674.

. In the west, the population is generally upper class, and the centre of business and finance,

La Défense La Défense () is a major business district in France, located west of the city limits of Paris. It is part of the Paris metropolitan area in the Île-de-France region, located in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in the communes of Courbevoie, ...

, is also located there.

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

Le Vésinet Le Vésinet () is a suburban commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is a part of the affluent outer suburbs of western Paris, from the centre of Paris. In 2019, it had a population of 15,943. ...

, Sceaux, Maisons-Laffitte and

are affluent suburbs of Paris, while Clichy-sous-Bois,

Bondy Bondy () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the Seine-Saint-Denis department. In 2019, it had a population of 54,587. Name The name Bondy was recorded for the first time around ...

and Corbeil-Essonnes are less so. The southeast ''banlieues'' are less homogenous. Close to Paris, there are many communities that are considered "sensitive" or unsafe (

Bagneux Bagneux may refer to: Communes in France *Bagneux, Aisne * Bagneux, Allier *Bagneux, Hauts-de-Seine * Bagneux, Indre * Bagneux, Marne * Bagneux, Meurthe-et-Moselle * Bagneux-la-Fosse, Aube Other * Bagneux British Cemetery, département of the Somm ...

, Malakoff, Massy,

Cachan Cachan () is a Communes of France, commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. The prestigious École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay and École Spéciale des Travaux Publics are loc ...

, Les Ulis), divided by residential zones with a better reputation ( Verrières-le-Buisson,

Bourg-la-Reine Bourg-la-Reine () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. History In 1792, during the French Revolution, Bourg-la-Reine (meaning "Town of the Queen") was renamed Bourg-l'Égalité (meani ...

Antony Antony may refer to: * Antony (name), a masculine given name and a surname * Antony, Belarus, a village in the Hrodna Voblast of Belarus * Antony, Cornwall, a village in Cornwall, United Kingdom ** Antony House, Cornwall, United Kingdom * Antony, ...

Fontenay-aux-Roses Fontenay-aux-Roses () is a Communes of France, commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. In 1880 a girls school École Normale Supérieure was opened in the town. It was one of ...

, Sceaux). The farther away from the Paris city centre, the more the ''banlieues'' of the south of Paris can be divided into two zones. On one side, there are the banks of the

Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

, where working-class residents used to live (there are still pockets of disadvantaged areas) but also other areas that are especially well off. Also are large cities close to Paris, such as

Chanteloup-les-Vignes Chanteloup-les-Vignes () is a commune and town in the Yvelines department, Île-de-France, north central France. The town was used for a large part of the film ''La Haine''. Demographic evolution See also *Communes of the Yvelines department ...

, Sartrouville,

Les Mureaux Les Mureaux () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in north-central France. It is located in the north-western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zer ...

Mantes-la-Jolie Mantes-la-Jolie (, often informally called Mantes) is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region of north-central France. It is located to the west of Paris, from the centre of the capital. Mantes-la-Jolie is a subprefe ...

Poissy Poissy () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Pisciacais'' in French. Poissy is one of ...

, Achères, Limay, Trappes, Aubergenville, Évry-Courcouronnes, Grigny, Corbeil-Essonnes, Saint-Michel-sur-Orge,

Brétigny-sur-Orge Brétigny-sur-Orge (, literally ''Brétigny on Orge'') is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France, from the city center. Origin of the city name The name of the settlement is attested as ''Britiniacum'' in 1146, as ''Bretigniacum'' ...

, Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois and

Fleury-Mérogis Fleury-Mérogis () is a commune in the Essonne department in northern France, in the southern suburbs of Paris. The commune has the Fleury-Mérogis Prison, France's and Europe's largest prison. Population Inhabitants of Fleury-Mérogis are know ...

. On the other hand, small communities that are affluent can be found in the

Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.Villennes-sur-Seine,

Chatou Chatou () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Chatou is a part of the affluent suburbs of western Paris and is on the northwest side of the Seine river about from the city's center. Histo ...

Croissy-sur-Seine Croissy-sur-Seine (, literally ''Croissy on Seine'') is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is a suburban town on the western outskirts of Paris. Many expatriates reside in Croissy, given a ...

, Le Pecq, Maisons-Laffitte but also in the

Essonne Essonne () is a department of France in the southern Île-de-France region. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659 across 194 communes.Seine-et-Marne departments: Etiolles,

Draveil Draveil () is a commune in the department of Essonne in the southern suburbs of Paris, France.Soisy-sur-Seine,

Saint-Pierre-du-Perray Saint-Pierre-du-Perray () is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. Population Inhabitants of Saint-Pierre-du-Perray are known as ''Saint-Perreyens''. See also *Communes of the Essonne department The follow ...

Seine-Port Seine-Port () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Demographics Inhabitants of Seine-Port are called ''Saint-Portais''. See also *Communes of the Seine-et-Marne department The fo ...

Paris: Banlieues rouges

The ''banlieues rouges'' ("red banlieues") are the outskirt districts of Paris where, traditionally, the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF'' ; ) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European Unit ...

held mayorships and other elected positions. Examples of these include Ivry-sur-Seine, and Malakoff. Such communities often named streets after Soviet personalities, such as ''rue Youri Gagarine''.

Lyon and Marseille

The ''banlieues'' of large cities like

and

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

, especially those around Paris (with a metropolitan area population of 12,223,100 inhabitants), are severely criticized and forgotten by the country's territorial spatial planning administration. Ever since the French Commune government of 1871, they were and still are often ostracised and considered by other residents as places that are "lawless" or "outside the Republic", as opposed to "deep France", or "authentic France" associated with the provinces. However, it is in the ''banlieues'' that the young working households are found that raise children and pay taxes but lack in public services, in transportation, education, sports, as well as employment opportunities.

Crime and protests

Since the 1980s, petty crime has increased in France, much of it blamed on

juvenile delinquency Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is the act of participating in unlawful behavior as a minor or individual younger than the statutory age of majority. In the United States of America, a juvenile delinquent is a person ...

fostered within the ''banlieues''. As a result, the ''banlieues'' are perceived to have become unsafe places to live, and youths from the ''banlieues'' are perceived to be one important source of increased petty crimes and uncivil behavior. This criminality was addressed by the

Front National The National Rally (french: Rassemblement National, ; RN), until 2018 known as the National Front (french: link=no, Front National, ; FN), is a far-rightAbridged list of reliable sources that refer to National Rally as far-right: Academic: ...

, a far-right political party led by

Jean-Marie Le Pen Jean Louis Marie Le Pen (, born 20 June 1928) is a French far-right politician who served as President of the National Front from 1972 to 2011. He also served as Honorary President of the National Front from 2011 to 2015. Le Pen graduated fro ...

, which rose to prominence during the early 1990s on a platform of tougher law enforcement and immigration control.

1981 riots

In the summer of 1981, events involving young Franco-Maghrebis were met with varying reactions from the French public. Reprinted in Within the ''banlieues'', events, called rodeos, would occur, where young "banlieusards" would steal cars and perform stunts and race them. Then, before the police could catch them, they would abandon the cars and set them on fire. In July and August 1981, around 250 cars were vandalised. Grassroots groups began to demonstrate in public in 1983 and 1984 to publicise the problems of the

Beur ''Beur'' (or alternatively, ''Rebeu'') is a colloquial term, sometimes considered pejorative, in French to designate European-born people whose parents or grandparents are immigrants from the Maghreb. The equivalent term for a female beur is a ...

s and immigrants in France.

2005 riots

Violent clashes between hundreds of youths and French police in the Paris banlieue of Clichy-sous-Bois began on 27 October 2005 and continued for more than 17 nights. The 2005 Paris suburb riots were triggered by the deaths of two teenagers (of black and Maghrebi descent) allegedly attempting to hide from police in an

electrical substation A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions. Between the generating station and ...

, who were electrocuted.

2020 riots

From 18 April 2020, Paris saw several nights of violent clashes over police treatment of ethnic minorities in the banlieues during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Filmography

A number of films, both fiction and documentary, have focused on the banlieues. A selection are listed below. * '' L'amour existe'', Maurice Pialat, 1961 * '' Two or Three Things I Know About Her'',

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as Fran� ...

, 1967 * ''

Elle court, elle court la banlieue ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the wo ...

'',

Gérard Pirès Gérard Pirès (born 31 August 1942) is a French film director and writer. Filmography * '' Guo bao zong dong yuan'' (''Adventures in the NPM'') (2007) * '' Les Chevaliers du ciel'' (''Sky Fighters'') (2005) * '' Double zéro'' (2004) * ''Steal' ...

, 1973 * '' Série noire'', Alain Corneau, 1979 * ''

La Haine ''La Haine'' (, ; released in the United States as ''Hate'') is a 1995 French crime drama film written, co-edited, and directed by Mathieu Kassovitz. Starring Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé and Saïd Taghmaoui, the film chronicles a day and nig ...

'',

Mathieu Kassovitz Mathieu Kassovitz (; born 3 August 1967) is a French actor, film director, film producer and screenwriter. He is the founder of MNP Entreprise, a film production company. He has won three César Awards: Most Promising Actor for '' See How They ...

, 1995 * '' 100% Arabica'', Mahmoud Zemmouri, 1997 * ''

Ma 6-T va crack-er ''Ma 6-T va crack-er'' (Standard French: ''Ma cité va craquer'', English translation: ''My suburbs are Going to Crack'', derived from ''craquer'' ("break down") and the drug crack cocaine) is a French movie directed by Jean-François Richet in 19 ...

'',

Jean-François Richet Jean-François Richet (born 1966) is a French screenwriter, director, and producer. He grew up in Meaux, a suburb east of Paris. Select filmography * ''Inner City'' (1995) – named at the César Awards 1996 in the Best Debut category. * ''Ma ...

, 1997 * ''

Games of Love and Chance ''Games of Love and Chance'' (french: L'Esquive) is a 2003 French drama film directed by Abdellatif Kechiche and starring Sara Forestier. It won the César Award for Best Film, Best Director, Best Writing and Most Promising Actress. The film ...

'',

Abdellatif Kechiche Abdellatif Kechiche (; ar, عبد اللطيف كشيش, born 7 December 1960) is a Tunisian- French actor, film director and screenwriter. He made his directorial debut in 2000 with '' La Faute à Voltaire'', which he also wrote. Known for his ...

, 2004 * '' District 13'', Pierre Morel, 2004 * ''

La Journée de la jupe ''La Journée de la jupe'' (Skirt Day) is a 2008 French film directed by Jean-Paul Lilienfeld and starring Isabelle Adjani as a high school teacher, a role which earned the actress the 2010 César award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. A key ...

'', Jean-Paul Lilienfeld, 2008 * '' Neuilly Yo Mama!'',

Gabriel Julien-Laferrière In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek language, Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin language, Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic language, Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, transli ...

, 2008 * ''

Tout ce qui brille ''Tout ce qui brille'' is a 2010 French film and the debut feature film for Géraldine Nakache and Hervé Mimran, who co-wrote and co-directed the film. It was filmed in Puteaux, La Défense, and Paris, notably the 16th arrondissement. Originall ...

'',

Géraldine Nakache Géraldine Nakache (born 16 February 1980) is a French actress, director and screenwriter of Algerian Jews, Algerian Jewish descent. Life and career Nakache grew up in an Algerian Jews, Algerian Jewish family. She earned a Diplôme d'études uni ...

, 2010 * ''

Beur sur la ville ''Beur sur la ville'' () is a 2011 French comedy directed by Djamel Bensalah. Plot Khalid Belkacem is a young Frenchman of Maghrebi origin who has failed all his graduation exams. However, he discovers that he still has one unlikely opportunit ...

'', Djamel Bensalah, 2011 * '' Porn in the Hood'',

Franck Gastambide Franck Gastambide (; born 31 October 1978) is a French actor, film director, screenwriter and producer. He became famous in 2009 after creating the first web series from Canal+, ''Kaïra Shopping'', which was later shown on television and adapted ...

, 2012 * ''

On the Other Side of the Tracks ''On the Other Side of the Tracks'' (french: De l'autre côté du périph) is a French comedy film released in France on December 19, 2012, and picked up for US distribution by The Weinstein Company. It was released in the US on April 4, 2014. ''On ...

Bertrand Tavernier Bertrand Tavernier (25 April 1941 – 25 March 2021) was a French director, screenwriter, actor and producer. Life and career Tavernier was born in Lyon, France, the son of Geneviève (née Dumond) and René Tavernier, a publicist and writer, s ...

, 2012 * '' Girlhood'', Céline Sciamma, 2014 * '' Divines'',

Houda Benyamina Houda Benyamina (born 1980) is a French director and screenwriter. She won the Cannes Film Festival Camera d'Or and César Award for Best First Feature Film for her 2016 film ''Divines''. Benyamina was born in Viry-Châtillon, Paris in a Morocca ...

, 2016 * ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'',

Ladj Ly Ladj Ly (; born 19 March 1980 in Paris) is a French film director and screenwriter. He won a Jury Prize in Cannes Film Festival for ''Les Misérables'' in 2019. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. Biography Ly's ...

, 2019 * ''

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...

'', Romain Gavras, 2022

References

External links

''The New French Ghettos''
by Hervé Marchal & Jean-Marc Stébé, i
Metropolitics.eu
16 December 2010.

by

Theodore Dalrymple Anthony Malcolm Daniels (born 11 October 1949), also known by the pen name Theodore Dalrymple (), is a conservative English cultural critic, prison physician and psychiatrist. He worked in a number of Sub-Saharan African countries as well as in ...

in City Journal, Autumn 2002.
''The Other France – Are the suburbs of Paris incubators of terrorism?''
by George Packer in

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

, 31 August 2015.
''So long, Marianne''
on burning girls and burning cars in France by Alice Schwarzer at signandsight.com

French author François Bon has spent years giving writing workshops to youths in the suburbs that are now being set ablaze. He looks critically at where the violence originated and with despair at where it is headed, at signandsight.com

A dossier with four related feature articles as well as a comprehensive collection of international voices from ''In Today's Feuilletons'' and the ''Magazine Roundup'' of sighandsight.com
Website featuring underground rap music from the banlieues.Troubled Suburbs Erupt Again

Audio book (mp3)
of the introduction and first chapter of Éric Maurin's book : Le ghetto français, enquête sur le séparatisme social {{Authority control Geography of France Human habitats Welfare in France Urbanization Urban decay in Europe