The French government's Program for Urban Renovation (PNRU), launched in 2003, aimed to restructure socially disadvantaged neighborhoods with the goals of social mixing and sustainable development through substantial housing operations. This analysis focuses on the impact of the PNRU over its 15-year lifespan (2003-2021) on housing stock and population within targeted areas.
Key points:
- Methodology: Utilized Filocom data covering 1999-2019 at the cadastral district level. Defined a control group of similar but non-redeveloped areas to compare against the 497 PNRU-targeted districts.
- Quartier Description:
- PNRU Targeted: 497 districts were selected for major renovations.
- Control: 240 districts with comparable characteristics but not subjected to the PNRU.
- Impact Analysis:
- Intense Renovation Areas: In the quarter of targeted districts where renovations were most intense, the PNRU led to a 6% decrease in the percentage of social housing units (remaining dominant) and a 5% reduction in the share of the poorest households (lowest income decile). The latter was offset by an increase in the weight of moderate-income households. By 2019, the share of the poorest fell to 25%, narrowing the gap with non-targeted areas. This effect was mainly due to the demolition of housing units that housed many poor households, rather than new constructions catering less often to poor households.
- Moderately Intense Renovation Areas: In three-quarters of targeted districts with less intense interventions, the average impact of the PNRU was negligible, allowing for a slight increase in the share of the poorest households, mirroring trends in control areas.
- Graphical Representations:
- Graph Left: In the 125 poorest neighborhoods benefiting from intense demolition operations, the share of residents in the lowest income decile dropped from 29% in 2003 to 25% in 2019.
- Graph Right: In the quarter of districts with the most intense renovation, the PNRU caused a 4% decrease in the proportion of residents in the lowest income decile in 2011; this reached 5% by 2019. Error bars represent the 10% confidence intervals of each impact coefficient.
In conclusion, the PNRU had a notable impact on reducing the proportion of the poorest households in the most intensely renovated areas, with a significant effect primarily driven by demolition rather than new construction. However, the overall impact was limited in areas with less intense interventions.
