In France, abanlieue (UK:/bɒnˈljuː/;[1]French:[bɑ̃ljø]ⓘ) is a suburb of a large city, or all its suburbs taken collectively. Banlieues are divided into autonomous administrative entities and do not constitute part of thecity proper. For instance, 80 percent of the inhabitants of theParis metropolitan area live outside the city of Paris.[2]
Beginning in the 1970s, the termbanlieue has taken on a particular connotation, becoming a popular word for economically-deprived suburbs featuring low-income housing projects (HLMs) that are home to large immigrant populations. People of foreign descent reside in what are often calledpoverty traps.[3] As of 2025[update], in France, approximately 1,500 suburbs are home to more than 5 million people.[citation needed]
The French word banlieue is derived from the thirteenth centuryVulgar Latin termbanleuca composed of the German termban meaning decree or official announcement withleuca which refers to the extension of the authority beyond the walls of a town.[4]
In France, since the establishment of theThird Republic at the beginning of the 1870s, communities beyond the city centre essentially stopped spreading their own boundaries, as a result of the extension of the larger Paris urban agglomeration. The city – which in France corresponds to the concept of the "urban unit" – does not necessarily have a correspondence with a single administrative location, and instead includes other communities that link themselves to the city centre and form the banlieues.
Since the annexation of the banlieues of major French cities during theSecond Empire period (Lyon in 1852,Lille in 1858, Paris in 1860,Bordeaux in 1865), French cities have extended their boundaries very little despite the growth of the cities. Almost all large and mid-sized cities in France with a banlieue have developed acouronne périurbaine (in English: peri-urban ring).
Communities in the countryside beyond the near-urban ring are regarded as being outside the city's strongest social and economic sphere of influence, and are termedcommunes périurbaines. In either case, they are divided into numerous autonomous administrative entities.
Banlieues 89, a design-led urban policy backed by the French government, renovated over 140 low-cost estates, such as Les Minguettes and the Mas du Taureau block in Vaulx-en-Velin. Improvements were made in road and rail access, cafes and shops were built, and the towers and blocks were made to look more attractive. In Vaulx-en-Velin, for instance, shops and a library were built, houses were built to make the landscape more interesting, 2,500 homes were renovated, and the blocks were repainted.[5]
The wordbanlieue is, in formal use, a socially neutral term, designating the urbanized zone located around the city centre, comprising both sparsely and heavily populated areas. Therefore, in the Parisian metropolitan area, for example, the wealthy suburb ofNeuilly-sur-Seine may be referred to as abanlieue as might the poor suburb ofLa Courneuve. To distinguish them, Parisians refer to abanlieue aisée (in English: comfortable suburb) forNeuilly, and to abanlieue défavorisée (in English: disadvantaged suburb) forClichy-sous-Bois.
The Paris region can be divided into several zones. In the northwest and the northeast, many areas are vestiges of former working-class and industrial zones, in the case ofSeine-Saint-Denis andVal-d'Oise. In the west, the population is generally upper class, and the centre of business and finance,La Défense, is also located there.Versailles,Le Vésinet,Sceaux,Maisons-Laffitte andNeuilly-sur-Seine are affluent suburbs of Paris, whileClichy-sous-Bois,Bondy andCorbeil-Essonnes are less so.
The southeastbanlieues are less homogenous. Close to Paris, there are many communities that are considered "sensitive" or unsafe (Bagneux,Malakoff,Massy,Cachan,Les Ulis), divided by residential zones with a better reputation (Verrières-le-Buisson,Bourg-la-Reine,Antony,Fontenay-aux-Roses,Sceaux).
The farther away from the Paris city centre, the more thebanlieues of the south of Paris can be divided into two zones. On one side, there are the banks of theSeine, where working-class residents used to live (there are still pockets of disadvantaged areas) but also other areas that are especially well off. Also are large cities close to Paris, such asChanteloup-les-Vignes,Sartrouville,Les Mureaux,Mantes-la-Jolie,Poissy,Achères,Limay,Trappes,Aubergenville,Évry-Courcouronnes,Grigny,Corbeil-Essonnes,Saint-Michel-sur-Orge,Brétigny-sur-Orge,Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois andFleury-Mérogis.
On the other hand, small communities that are affluent can be found in theYvelines department withVillennes-sur-Seine,Chatou,Croissy-sur-Seine,Le Pecq,Maisons-Laffitte but also in theEssonne andSeine-et-Marne departments:Etiolles,Draveil,Soisy-sur-Seine,Saint-Pierre-du-Perray orSeine-Port.
Thebanlieues rouges ("red banlieues") are the outskirt districts of Paris where, traditionally, theFrench Communist Party held mayorships and other elected positions. Examples of these includeIvry-sur-Seine andMalakoff. Such communities often named streets after Soviet personalities, such asAvenueVladimir-Ilitch-Lénine inNanterre, orrueYouri Gagarine inColombes.
Thebanlieues of large cities likeLyon andMarseille, like those of Paris, have also tended to suffer from a negative reputation. Ever since the FrenchCommune government of 1871, they were and still are often ostracised and considered by other residents as places that are "lawless" or "outside the Republic", as opposed to"deep France", or "authentic France" associated with the provinces.[6] However, it is in thebanlieues that the young working households are found that raise children and pay taxes but lack in public services, in transportation, education, sports, as well as employment opportunities.[7]
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Since the 1980s, petty crime has increased in France,[citation needed] much of it blamed onjuvenile delinquency fostered within thebanlieues. The first riots in the banlieues that were considered as such took place in 1979 in the “La Grappinière” neighborhood inVaulx-en-Velin, a suburb ofLyon. The residents of the neighborhood rose up against the forces of law and order and condemned the “police harassment” to which they were subjected, especially young people of North African origin. However, the recurring unrest in the cités since 1981, which reached a peak in 2005 (seeRiots in France 2005), proves that the problems in the cités are far more complex than can be solved by urban development measures (such as improving the building fabric, renovating high-rise buildings) and the allocation of funding for social and cultural infrastructure. As a result, thebanlieues are perceived to have become unsafe places to live,[citation needed] and youths from thebanlieues are perceived to be one important source of increased petty crimes and uncivil behaviour.[citation needed] This criminality was addressed by[citation needed] theFront National, a far-right political party led byJean-Marie Le Pen, which rose to prominence during the early 1990s on a platform of tougher law enforcement and immigration control.
In the summer of 1981, events involving young Franco-Maghrebis were met with varying reactions from the French public.[8] Within thebanlieues, events, called rodeos, would occur, where young "banlieusards" would steal cars and perform stunts and race them. Then, before the police could catch them, they would abandon the cars and set them on fire.[8]
In July and August 1981, around 250 cars were vandalised. Grassroots groups began to demonstrate in public in 1983 and 1984 to publicise the problems of theBeurs and immigrants in France.[citation needed]
Violent clashes between hundreds of youths and French police in the Paris banlieue ofClichy-sous-Bois began on 27 October 2005 and continued for more than 17 nights.[9] The2005 Paris suburb riots were triggered by the deaths of two teenagers (of black andMaghrebi descent) allegedly attempting to hide from police in anelectrical substation, who were electrocuted.[10]
From 18 April 2020, Paris saw several nights of violent clashes over police treatment of ethnic minorities in the banlieues during theCOVID-19 lockdown.[11][12][13]
A number of films, both fiction and documentary, have focused on the banlieues. A selection are listed below.
