Public housing in France ( French: ''logement social'', also called ''Habitations à loyer modéré'', or ''HLM'') is a central, local or social program designed to provide

subsidized A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...

assistance for

low-income Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little

income

and poor people.

History

France has a long tradition of social and state intervention in the provision of housing. In 1775, the

Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans The Saline Royale (Royal Saltworks) is a historical building at Arc-et-Senans in the department of Doubs, Eastern France. It is next to the Forest of Chaux and 29.2 kilometres (18.1 miles) to the southwest of Besançon. The architect was Claude- ...

was built with a part dedicated to house workers. In the 19th century the ''cités ouvrières'' (company towns) appeared, inspired by the Phalanstère of

Charles Fourier François Marie Charles Fourier (;; 7 April 1772 – 10 October 1837) was a French philosopher, an influential early socialist thinker and one of the founders of utopian socialism. Some of Fourier's social and moral views, held to be radical in ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the population increased at a rate previously unknown, the rural exodus increased and war damage had reduced the number of houses in many cities. Rental prices dramatically rose so the government passed a

rent control Rent regulation is a system of laws, administered by a court or a public authority, which aims to ensure the affordability of housing and tenancies on the rental market for dwellings. Generally, a system of rent regulation involves: * Price con ...

law in 1949. That effectively ended the economic benefits of housing investment. Also, construction was strictly regulated, which made building very difficult without political support. The government launched a huge construction plan, including the creation of new towns ("villes nouvelles") and new suburbs with HLM (Habitation à Loyer Modéré, "low-rent housing"). The state had the money and the legal means to acquire the land and could provide some advantages to the companies that built the huge housing complexes of hundreds of apartments. Quality was also effectively regulated, resulting in decent or even top-quality housing for the 1950s and 1960s. HLM construction was also a major source of political financing, and building companies were sometimes made to pay back the political party of the mayor who launched an HLM program. That resulted in

corruption scandals in the Paris region In the 1980s and 1990s there were, in the Paris region (Île-de-France), multiple instances of alleged and proved political corruption cases, as well as cases of abuse of public money and resources. Almost all involved were members of the conservat ...

and elsewhere. In 1998, a law required every town in France to have at least 20% HLM.Article 55 of the Applies to towns of more than 3,500 inhabitants (1,500 in Île-de-France) located in urban agglomerations of more than 50,000 inhabitants, with at least one commune of more than 15,000 inhabitants.

Different kinds of social housing

* The

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. There is no consensus about the influence on either the rents of the private sector or the prices of real estate.

Notes and references

External links

'
at ''Cour des Comptes'' {{in lang, fr Welfare in France

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

History

Different kinds of social housing

See also

Notes and references

External links