Regards sur la banlieue: Grand Mirail

One part of a triptych on the housing projects (or cités) in and around Toulouse, France. These groupings of large housing blocks were constructed in the decades following WWII on the communist model: egalitarian, communal constructions that allowed the government to quickly raze the slums that sprang up after the war. These short documentaries focus on life in neighborhoods that are plagued by unemployment, wealth disparities compared with other parts of the city, and - according to the right-wing government - increasing crime and insecurity due to the large population of foreigners. La Reynerie and Bellefontaine are made up of 58% public housing, have 40% unemployment, and an official population of 26% foreign (though in reality it’s much higher), and 49% low income.

Une partie d’un triptyque sur les ZUS dans et autour de Toulouse.