La gauche et le périurbain

Abstract

How do local authorities of small periurban towns come to adopt national housing policy in order to influence their built environment and population - be it in favor of home ownership or mixed-income regulations? We seek to answer this question with this article. Based on the study of a growing residential community outside of Lyon known to vote left wing since 1983, we will tackle the question of diversity policies, one that is rarely posed when discussing this type of periurban settlement. Our analysis on the sociopolitical and institutional logics underlying the construction of housing developments reveals their ambiguity: the larger "American style" residences aim to attract middle class families from urban areas, while affordable housing quotas are imposed in new programs in order to meet the needs of the local modest households. Nevertheless, local policies are strongly influenced by real estate developers, especially in periods of economic crisis. The statistical analysis of population settlements reveals the gap between the political project of social diversity and its concrete realization, and further shows the appearance of ethno-racial and socioeconomic micro-segregations happening at the level of residential sections.