The impacts of article 55 of the law on Solidarity and Urban Renewal in France : a systematic literature review

Abstract

This master’s thesis examines the impacts of article 55 of the law on Solidarity and Urban Renewal in France. The law, which came into force in 2000, aims at decreasing segregation and requires municipalities to have at least 20 % social housing by 2020. With the methodology of mixed-methods systematic literature review, the thesis composes all available, peer-reviewed studies on the impacts of article 55 of the law. The results are synthesized with narrative synthesis.

The analysis shows that regardless of the study’s framework, academic studies bring up the same concern: many of the targeted municipalities have refused to build new social housing, and if new social housing is built, it is often allocated to the middle class or applicants who already live in the municipality. As the law has not been implemented as expected, it seems to have a disconcerting co-impact with the Borloo law. When the poorest are not excepted to the new social housing units and the old social housing neighbourhoods are renewed to contain less social housing, it appears that some of the most vulnerable must look for a new place to live, which is often more expensive.