Roubaix (FRANCE), how can we answer differently to the destruction of “mass housing”?

[ Damien GRAVA]

The redevelopment of the Trois Ponts area. How to do better?
Following Borloo Amendment, several mass housing areas are going to be demolished in order to be redeveloped in other ways. The policy is the tabula rasa. The government thinks that mass housing development coming from previous urban and architecture programs is nowadays the culprit of ´ des maux´ of the city, and its destruction will lead to solve city’s problems.
But what are these problems about? Mostly the image reflected by the mass housing area is outlined, as – it is said - it corresponds to a part of the population that would be rather not seen. In the same time, these areas are characterized badly for living being, ‘alienisant’. But taking differently and in a deep point of view, the existing urban, architectural and social structures offer several possibilities to improve the question of the image and mainly redevelop in depth a quality of life which seems to be lost.
This subject is going to be developed through my final year project. It intends to propose an alternative solution to not destruct mass housing areas and also a way to reuse the existing building structures to rehabilitate the Trois Ponts in Roubaix.