S1 • E16 May 7, 2020 50m
The municipality of Roubaix has put houses up for sale at one euro to revitalize and transform the Pile, one of the most deprived neighborhoods in one of the poorest cities in France. This is an unprecedented laboratory for city policy, which aims to bring about a profound societal change. But at what price for the most vulnerable populations? The mayor of Roubaix, Guillaume Delbar, is determined to change the bad reputation of the district, which is plagued by unemployment, insalubrity and drug trafficking. Since the closure of the spinning mills, many of the working-class brick houses have been abandoned and walled up. The city council, the Lille metropolitan area, the region and the State are all mobilizing.
