Marseille: Upgrades and degradation
Tuesday 4 November 2008
Gentrification has charmed its way into European cities for the past 35 years and more, promising rehabilitation of buildings and cityscapes, new cultural venues, shops and restaurants, and of course big profits for developers. But what happened to the real citizens?
François Ruffin, Le Monde Diplomatique (January 2007)
The dust outside billowed up from behind metal barriers, cranes were busy, and pneumatic drills hammered away. Eric Foillard, director of Marseille République, was full of enthusiasm in his sales suite: "See what they’re doing across the street? It’s going to be fabulous: cobblestones, granite pavements, new trees. A user-friendly tramway, not claustrophobic like the metro. There’s the Opera House, the second-oldest in France. Luc Besson is opening a cinema complex at the Quai de la Joliette. It’ll be like Cannes." read more
Site created with SPIP 2.0.7 + AHUNTSIC
