Suburbs of Europe
Once fires burnt in the French ‘banlieue’ of Paris. Once those Lisbon suburbs were considered dangerous, and those Barcelona suburbs remained obscure, and that Strasbourg suburb on the country’s border gentrified, though no-one knew exactly why. Once hip hop defined the peripheries of cities, before breaking out of its ghetto identity and moving to the city centres. Snapshots from the rings of some of Europe’s most famous southern and western capitals
Chelas: not such a dodgy neighbourhood of Lisbon
‘You were in Chelas? I’ve lived in Lisbon for eight years and I have never risked going there,’ says Melinda, a 23-year old student who moved to Portugal with her family from Cape Verde. Melinda isn’t the only one who knows of the bad reputation of this district
European hip hop between Brussels, Amsterdam, Hanover and London
The opening of the 2011 Lezarts urban dance festival at Brussels’ centre of fine arts (Bozar) in mid-February was more relaxed and accessible than usual. We meet choreographers, b-boys and the folks at the European laboratory of hip hop dance
Beyond Gaudi: exposing the gateway to Barcelona
It was the birthplace of the most vibrantly colourful movement in architecture, it is home to the spires of the unfinished Sagrada Familia and Parc Güell. This is the public face of the Catalan capital, the one which is promoted by the city council and which acts as a magnet for tourists and residents. But which city are they talking about? We travel around the concrete tower blocks and the suburbs, meeting the people of the other Barcelona
Six years after riots, French discuss French 'banlieue'
In France you will get a different response to this question about its high-rise estates in the suburbs depending on whether you listen to the 'cliché factory' that is the media or the personal experiences of its inhabitants. Above all, it is the magnifying glass of France’s collective identity problem, and all of Europe is involved
ethnic minorities, discrimination, politics, suburbs, racism, integration, society, precarity, paris, suburbs
Port du Rhin: Strasbourg’s problem suburb (which is also on the border)
The suburb of Strasbourg which is part of the Franco-German border is famous for having staged anti-Nato protests in 2009. It's all the more reason for its politicians and town planners to realise the urban planning policy set in place to improve living conditions for its population. Mission accomplished?
city planning, nato, violence, architecture, society, strasbourg, suburbs
