Contenu du sommaire : Villes nouvelles et grands ensembles

Have the Grands ensembles been built like the new towns? The builders of the new towns have asserted the breaking off beetween what they have done and the previous building public policy, the grands ensembles (large housing estates) period, from 1953 to 1973. This article focuses on the historical meaning of this proclaimed difference.The grands ensembles are conceived within a global town and country planning policy, even if the lack of land stock make it difficult to realise, exept for the SCIC. Large housing estates became dormitory towns without amenities and jobs not so much because of the influence of fonctionalism but because of the rigid way they were financed. The leaders of public housing policy of the 1950-1960 years were aware of the validity of the critics against what they have built. They try to invent solutions, not so far as those conceived by the builders of the new towns.

From new residential estates to towns: 1960's wavering and the strength of ‘‘extraterritoriality'' In France throughout the 1960s, the distinction between ‘‘new residential estates'' (grands ensembles) and ‘‘new towns'' remained quite vague. Neither the policies implemented, the assessments of observers or even scientific analyses produced any clear, consensual distinction. This state of flux theoretically came to an end with the official creation of the first Établissements publics d'aménagement des villes nouvelles (EPAVN – public bodies responsible for new town planning) in April 1969 following a long period of lobbying, behind-the-scenes experimentation and institutional conflict. This article proposes to shed some light on this work. Firstly, it analyzes the arguments used by the developers of new towns in the face of the power wielded by the main ‘‘producer'' of ‘‘new residential estates'' (i.e., Société centrale d'équipement du territoire, a subsidiary of Caisse des dépôts et consignations, the French Deposits and Consignments Office). The article then goes on to focus on the practical and conceptual difficulties encountered by the young practitioners sent to work in the future ‘‘new towns'' in proving that they could do better than their predecessors. Lastly, the article concludes that the 1970s were favourable to the EPAVNs as soon as they were able to make use of the resources provided by new technology and communication techniques and by what eventually came to be known as territorial marketing.

‘‘Ville nouvelle'' or ‘‘grand ensemble'', local use of specific terminology The use of the expressions such as ‘‘grands ensembles'' or ‘‘villes nouvelles'' is more complex that it seems. A study of urbanistic program over the years 1965-1977 in the Parisian area shaws what is at stake in those words. A comparison between the creation of the ‘‘Zup de Fontenay-sous-Bois'' and of ‘‘Nouveau Créteil'' reveals how the local actors have got involved in these large projects launched par the governement.

‘‘Grands ensembles'' et ‘‘villes nouvelles'':sociological representations French new towns builders used to present these towns at variance with the ‘‘grands ensembles.'' These theory, which inform memory of the new towns, must form the subjetc of cultural studie. French sociology of the Sixties-Seventies play an important part in the construction of this contrast. Using sociological corpus of these years (thesis, reviews), we demonstrate that the terminology is not fixed at the moment: grand(s) ensemble(s), ville neuve, ville(s) nouvelle(s) merged until the mid-seventies. Sociological critical of sixties urbanism is however very hard and contribute to act new towns as a foil to ‘‘grands ensembles.'' Nevertheless, new towns are not really define by the sociologists. Their global critical agree on that point with the real nine new towns builder's conceptions.

Le Mirail: a ‘‘ville nouvelle'' developped as a «grand ensemble» The zone urbaine prioritaire or ZUP of Le Mirail (Toulouse, France) was originally intended as a modern city project that would lend balance to development distribution in Toulouse. Yet the project found neither the local political support, the financial means nor the regulation framework suited to its ambitions. The fact that the initial plans were then abandoned and the project radically transformed account, in part, for Le Mirail's composite character, as well as for its trajectory since: that of a large residential development become ‘‘disqualified'' over time. Today, the ongoing demolition-reconstruction of Le Mirail may help give it back some ‘‘value'' in a ‘‘requalified'' urban environment, but at the risk of socially transforming its population, thereby making it more difficult for those with the lowest income to gain access to ‘‘cheap'' housing.

Mourenx from a newtown to the ‘‘ville de banlieue'' Mourenx, 25 km from Pau, was built in 1957. The birth and the evolution are linked to the economic development of the industrial site of Lacq. The project aims at building an autonomous community, very different from the ‘‘grands ensembles'' with an important civic-center. The 1970's crisis stop the development of the ‘‘industrial city''. Today, the operations of rebuilding confirm the new pattern of what they call a ‘‘ville de banlieue''.

Colomiers Ville-Neuve: a municipal achievement based on the British new towns model Built in the early 60's, the new town of Colomiers, close to Toulouse, has very special if not unique features compared to urban productions of its time. Born from a local initiative, this project was carried through strong and steady municipal leadership despite the urbanism administration reluctance and the competition with Toulouse projects. Departing from the then dominant doctrine, the urbanistic model of Colomiers is that of the British New Towns built just after World War II (mainly like Harlow). It aims at building an autonomous community and gives priority to individual housing. The choice and profile of the Chief architect of the new town, are original as well: chosen by the mayor, René Viguier is a local self-educated architect. Here, he applies a design method widely inspired by Robert Auzelle's teaching, from whom he is at that time a student at the Institut Universitaire d'Urbanisme de Paris.

Urbanization in ‘‘Basse Seine;'' attentions on conception and evolution of ‘‘grands ensembles'' and Le Vaudreuil new town In France, planning would be born with the ‘‘DATAR'' creation in 1963. New towns experiment, attempted at the same time, was considered as a counterpattern, a rupture with decried practices. Nevertheless, looking closely at the planning of the ‘‘Basse Seine'' during the three post-war ‘‘glorious decades'' in France, this rupture doesn't seem so clear. Le Vaudreuil new town followed from a cogitation dedicated to the planning of the valley since the mid-fifties. Moreover, comparing Le Vaudreuil history with those of Grand'Mare (Rouen) and Caucriauville (Le Havre), major ‘‘grands ensembles'' of the ‘‘Basse Seine'', reveals many analogies, the most remarkable of which is their common mutation into the social restoration of hard to manage suburbs.