Housing Policy and Social Change in Communist-Run Municipalities in the Suburbs of Paris

Abstract

The inner-ring suburbs of Paris, historically shaped by industrialisation and working-class settlement, have undergone dramatic transformations over the past century. Known as the “red belt,” these municipalities were governed largely by communist administrations that built extensive social housing and public facilities for blue-collar residents. Since the 1960s, however, deindustrialisation has led to economic decline and demographic shifts. While communist dominance has weakened, several municipalities still retain majority control. From the late 1980s, reformist communist local governments began introducing new housing and urban policies aimed at combating pauperisation and deterioration. The case of Saint-Denis exemplifies these dynamics: once Europe’s largest industrial area, it has since undergone restructuring and redevelopment, with municipal strategies simultaneously seeking to attract private developers and middle-class newcomers while retaining low-income populations. This paper investigates how such ambivalent strategies of “controlled gentrification” are implemented and to what extent local governments can shape social change. It analyses policies that encourage middle-class settlement alongside measures to secure housing for lower-income residents, highlighting the tensions between development and social equity in post-industrial suburban Paris.