Deemed ‘ugly’ by some, the pavilion remains popular with the French. But in view of the goal of zero artificiality of the floor and the increasing construction costs, this is being questioned.
A row of houses, each in the middle of a garden, a road that ends in a cul-de-sac, all on the outskirts of a town, bordering on fields. This is how one could describe in one sentence the French suburban model that was introduced in the 1970s. In 2010, Télérama magazine accused Télérama of making France “ugly”, eating up agricultural land, increasing household debt and… Since this model is incompatible with the ecological transition, it is increasingly being questioned.
“We have to put an end to the single house,” even Emmanuelle Wargon, the then housing minister, launched in 2021, Le Figaro recalls. Words that had caused controversy, while the single house is still considered the ideal by a large majority of French people. But the future zero-net artificiality law, which in theory will prevent the construction of housing estates on agricultural or natural land, risks undermining these aspirations. And to sign the end of the pavilion is this “French passion”, in the words of sociologists Hervé Marchal and Jean-Marc Stébé.
An American inspiration
Let’s rewind. We are in the mid 1970’s. Having greatly expanded collective housing at the end of World War II, the authorities decided to change gears. “The so-called suburban model is a political and economic construct, introduced in particular after the election of Valéry Giscard d’Estaing in 1977, which promises housing for everyone thanks to home ownership,” explains Lionel Rougé, lecturer at the University of Toulouse 2 and specialist in this field.
Very quickly, housing estates sprang up all over France, almost always on the outskirts of the cities. Away from jobs, inner cities or schools, these housing estates are used as dormitories and the car is king there. France “chooses to be inspired by the American model,” emphasizes Lucile Mettetal, geographer and study and project manager at the Paris Regional Institute. The houses are built “in the middle of the garden” there, unlike in other countries such as Great Britain or Germany, where the houses are often built in rows. The key is the promise of a safe environment where you can craft or garden without the neighbors seeing.
This model, which has been driven by local land-use planning policies but also by national mechanisms such as interest-free loans since the 1990s, gives the middle and working class access to property. According to the OECD, almost 62% of French households had their main residence in 2020, compared to 44% in Germany. And among these dwellings, the house is king: according to the latest figures from the Department for Green Transition, 79% of owner-occupied households live in a house.
“An urban world eating the country”
Despite its success, the pavilion is regularly criticized, mainly for the imagination it conveys, just as Télérama puts down “Ugly France”. The target to be shot down? These long streets lined with similar houses are at the entrance to a town and near an industrial park. “The suburbs are the symbol of an urban world eating away at the countryside,” summarizes Hervé Marchal, professor of sociology at the University of Burgundy. A strong contradiction for a habitat type that is supposed to bring nature closer to its inhabitants.
Beyond the aesthetic aspect, the suburban model has been criticized primarily for its environmental impact. “This development into separate zones – residential, commercial and commercial – is problematic,” explains Christine Leconte, President of the Order of Architects. It is “an entirely car-centric urban plan” that not only forces residents to drive miles to work, but also “the kids have lost a lot of autonomy,” she adds.
“Disappointed lodger”
Despite this criticism, the attractiveness of single-family homes remains high. “The desire for a home has not diminished, it has even been reactivated by the tightness and the extent of teleworking,” emphasizes Lucile Mettetal. According to an Ifop survey conducted in March by the French Federation of Individual Home Builders and reported by Le Journal de l’Agence, 84% of respondents would prefer to live in this type of accommodation.
If all French people, or almost all, have the same dream, they don’t all live it in the same way. “Not all houses are the same,” emphasizes Lionel Rougé. We see the upper class investing in housing estates that were often built in the 1970s and are now well integrated into the urban environment.” This “enchanted pavilion,” as Hervé Marchal calls it, has everything: it’s attached to the city , public transport and services connected.
Conversely, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the working class to find affordable housing. “Those who went to the suburbs now have to go even further,” summarizes Lionel Rougé, who is concerned that households “are moving 70 km from Toulouse to access a home”. “This disaffected suburbanite is often accompanied by resentment on the part of her residents,” the researcher sums up.
“By far not everything, they have the feeling of being forgotten. The plaster facades, the condition of the windows are all things that remind people that they are worse off.”
Hervé Marchal, Professor of Sociology at the University of Burgundy
at franceinfo
This sense of exclusion, “one of the driving forces behind the ‘yellow vests’ anger,” recalls Christine Leconte, could be exacerbated by the rise in energy prices linked to the war in Ukraine. Especially since new construction has slowed sharply in 2022, reports Le Monde. The rise in construction costs, up 8.8% in one year according to INSEE, and the rise in interest rates, which is slowing down access to mortgages, come into play.
Added to these short-term difficulties is a long-term problem: that of ecological transition. The pavilion and its almost obligatory car seem incompatible with the fight against global warming. And the goal of zero net artificiality by 2050 contained in the climate law could well call into question the entire French urban development model. The government also wants to adopt new text to protect biodiversity and prevent urban sprawl by encouraging construction on wasteland or vacant land in villages. The prospective law, passed by the Senate for now, worries small-town mayors who fear they will no longer attract households. Logical, emphasizes Hervé Marchal, “because for a long time the figure of a good mayor was that of an elected official who constantly attracted new residents”.
Yes, but how?
What sign is the end of the pavilion? “No,” replies Lionel Rougé, for whom we see “a renewal of the suburban model” rather than its death. In order to reinvent themselves, residential areas must therefore evolve. “One of the keys is the densification of the outskirts, emphasizes Christine Leconte. We need to take care of integrating these areas into the urban fabric, getting people closer to public services and stepping out of the pure car.” A “key to the green transition” that requires diversifying the use of residential areas to accommodate them to make places to live.
It remains to know how to compact. Lucile Mettetal distinguishes “hard compaction”, which replaces residential areas with blocks of buildings, which is particularly at work in the small and medium-sized crown of the Ile-de-France, as reported by Le Monde, from “soft compaction”: “It is a question of a division of the parcels or a filling of the hollow teeth.” For example, a couple sells part of their garden to renovate the house they bought in the 1970s.
In any case, the re-enchantment of the suburban area will not be possible without its inhabitants. “We have no other solution than to work together with the people who live there,” warns Christine Leconte. “We must not demonize residential areas, but rather infuse them with urban thinking,” adds Lionel Rougé. We need to think about a democratic way of ordering and urbanizing them. You have to let them invent it.”
Desires that evolve
France could take inspiration from some of its European neighbors, while “our country is the champion of urban sprawl”. [l’implantation d’édifices dispersés dans un paysage naturel]’ exclaims Hervé Marchal. The researcher suggests looking towards ‘the UK where the adjoining suburban housing is more developed and integrated into the towns’. Lucile Mettetal calls on the legislator to raise the question of the division of living space: “We could look.” In Germany, where the generations live together more often.”
Although France is not yet revolutionizing its living space, according to observers and professionals in the sector, certain desires seem to be developing. Young couples no longer have the same standards as their parents. “The space of the garden is always important, but it doesn’t have to be very large. In particular, the desire for a house with four sides is less pronounced today and households do not want to be too far from the city center,” emphasizes Lionel Rougé.
Is that a sign that the ecological discourse is gaining ground? “The downsizing of houses and gardens is primarily linked to a question of economy and comfort, but it gets through somewhere,” says Christine Leconte. It is up to the legislator to persuade the French to change their desires and respond to the contradictions that lead households to “live close to nature while being integrated into the urban fabric”, summarizes Hervé Marchal together.