PUBLIC ENTITIES AND POLICIES
EVALUATION OF
THE ATTRACTIVENESS
OF PRIORITY
NEIGHBOURHOODS
An important aspect of
urban policy
Thematic public report
Evaluation of a public policy
Summary Report
December 2020
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Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
g
DISCLAIMER
This summary report is intended to facilitate the reading and use
of the report from Cour des comptes.
The report is accompanied by overviews of eight local areas
grouped together in a second volume.
A second summary report groups together all the summary
reports from the overviews for each local area.
The Cour des Comptes is only responsible for the report and the
local area overviews.
Responses from the administrative bodies, organisations and
public authorities involved appear after the report and each
local area overview.
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Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
Summary
Introduction
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
1
Is urban policy taking into account factors that affect
the attractiveness of Priority Neighbourhoods for Urban
Policymaking (QPVs)?
9
2
Did the attractiveness of QPVs improve between 2008
and 2018?
11
3
Did public schemes adversely affect any efforts to make
QPVs more attractive between 2008 and 2018? .
13
4
Has coordination between urban policy and other public
service measures helped to make QPVs more attractive?
15
5
Overview of specific areas of focus and recommendations
17
Audit recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Answers to four questions for the eight QPVs investigated .
23
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Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
Introduction
Even though the name does not suggest so, for more than four decades now,
urban policy has set out to close the gaps between deprived neighbourhoods
and other neighbourhoods within the same metropolitan areas by improving
their residents’ living environments . It is a major public policy, as the central
government puts forward €10 billion a year towards it
1
, in addition to urban
regeneration funding and an unclear level of expenditure allocated to it by
the relevant local public authorities . The 5 .4 million people residing in the
1,514 neighbourhoods identified as Priority Neighbourhoods for Urban
Policymaking (QPVs), located in 859 communes (municipalities), are the direct
beneficiaries of this support . Since they were first established, at least eight laws
have set out their objectives . These policies harness both general resources,
which are resources falling within the general scope of public services and
initiatives, and schemes that receive specific funding .
Despite the multiple and recurrent calls for it to be comprehensively evaluated,
after the various work that it has undertaken, the Cour des Comptes has found
that
urban policy
, which has generated very high expectations and is tying
up large amounts of expenditure,
cannot be evaluated as a whole
This kind
of analysis is impossible due to the sheer scope of its operations, its evolving
objectives (which are often not really expressed in figures and are not ranked)
and, more generally, inaccessible or even non-existent data that would use
“statistical cohorts” to help to measure whether the objectives being pursued
have been achieved in the long term .
Financial resources mobilised in 2019, excluding national urban regeneration
programmes and local public authority expenditure
Source: Urban over-arching policy document (DPT), 2019 draft budget law (PLF)
1 The National Urban Regeneration Programme (PNRU) mobilised €12 billion of public funds
between 2003 and 2012, including €1 .2 billion of central government budget allocations
(€846 million paid at the end of 2015), bringing total investment to €46 .1 billion . The new PNRU
(from 2016 to 2034) plans to mobilise €9 billion of public funds, including €1 billion of central
government budget allocations (€75 million paid at the end of 2020), bringing investment of a
similar level to the PNRU .
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Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
Therefore, this report does not provide this comprehensive evaluation, but instead
tries to evaluate the attractiveness of QPVs, which are one of the cornerstones
of this policy . This aspect of urban policy marries together objectives (such
as improving the image of neighbourhoods, drawing people to an area out of
choice and preventing urban degeneration) and outcomes (such as setting up
new activities and making it possible for low income households to move into an
area) . It also assesses whether this wide range of public initiatives helps to reduce
tendencies to avoid these neighbourhoods and, more generally, whether or not
they are improving the image of these neighbourhoods among their residents and
the population as a whole .
The evaluation focuses on the
decade between 2008-2018
and on priority
neighbourhoods over this entire period . The neighbourhoods which were added
to or removed from these so-called priority geographical areas as a result of
Act No . 2014-173 of 21 February 2014 on City Planning and Urban Cohesion
(referred to as the “Lamy Act”) have therefore not been included . The Cour
des Comptes’ work has focused on
the three areas of housing
,
education and
economic activity
, in addition to safety, which, as stated by the residents of the
neighbourhoods investigated, frequently affects all of the others . The Cour des
Comptes draws on scrutiny of
national data
, where it exists, and on in-depth
analysis of the
situation in eight priority neighbourhoods
2
, located in four
regions, chosen in order to illustrate the wide range of local circumstances .
Five of them have undergone urban regeneration as part of the first national
programme (2004-2020 PNRU), while the three other neighbourhoods should
benefit from the new programme (2014-2030 NPNRU):
l
The Hauts-de-France region:
- La Bourgogne in Tourcoing,
- Les Provinces Françaises in Maubeuge,
l
The Île de France region:
- Rosiers-Chantepie in Sarcelles,
- Montceleux - Pont Blanc in Sevran,
l
The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region:
- Les Minguettes in Vénissieux/Saint-Fons,
- Grand-Pont in Rive-de-Gier,
l
The Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region: - Saint-Chamand in Avignon
- L’Ariane in Nice .
Completed at the start of 2020, this field analysis does not take into account the
effects of the Covid-19 health crisis or its economic and social implications on the
neighbourhoods investigated .
Introduction
2 The summary report is accompanied by eight local area overviews for each of the local areas
explored .
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Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
Introduction
The four evaluation questions
To what extent did
the attractiveness of targeted
districts improve?
EFFICIENCY
To what extent did the public
policy improve
the attractiveness
of targeted districts ?
USEFULNES
To what extent does the policy
towards disadvantaged districts
take into account the indicators
related to the attractiveness of
targeted districts?
COHERENCE
To what extent does ordinary law
benefit to the areas aimed by
the policy in favour of
disadvantaged districts?
RELEVANCE
Source: Cour des comptes
In accordance with its professional standards for evaluating public policy, the Cour
des Comptes has set out to answer
four evaluation questions
:
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Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
1
Is urban policy taking into
account factors that affect
the attractiveness of Priority
Neighbourhoods for Urban
Policymaking (QPVs)?
The first question focuses on
the
relevance
of the urban policy planning
objectives and documents .
The notion of attractiveness, which
may surprise readers who do not
know a great deal about these topics,
has gradually been grown to be
accepted among the key urban policy
objectives, and in many framework
documents, such as urban contracts
or urban renovation programmes .
This issue of attractiveness flows
through
projects
and
schemes
aiming to narrow the gap in personal
situations and to better integrate
these
neighbourhoods
into
their
urban
environments
to
various
degrees .
However,
urban
policy
only
partially takes
into
account the
many dimensions that can make a
neighbourhood attractive to new
residents, as well as to people who
already live there and people who
hope or might hope to live there .
While some schemes aim to attract
new slightly better-off residents to a
neighbourhood in order to create a
type of social diversity, urban policy
only marginally covers perceptions of
neighbourhoods by their residents,
whether
these
are
objective
or
subjective, such as the lingering effects
of a tarnished image, day-to-day safety
issues and a desire for mobility .
As a result, there are no programmes
which
can
take
the
issue
of
attractiveness
fully
into
account .
Lingering
“reputational”
effects,
the lack of opportunities for most
residents
to
make
meaningful
decisions
and
the
handling
of
emergency
situations
significantly
restrict public authorities’ abilities
to
fulfil
Lamy
Law’s
3
ambitions
and achieve the stated objectives .
These
difficulties
are
exacerbated
by
the
constraints
of
the
local
scope of neighbourhood initiatives,
when they are played within the
far larger dynamics at a métropole
(metropolitan administrative entity)
or even regional level .
3 Act No . 2014-173 of 21 February 2014 on City Planning and Urban Cohesion (referred to as
the “Lamy Act”) .
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Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
This second question focuses on
the
effectiveness
of initiatives undertaken
over ten years, as measured by the
indicators available .
Over
this
ten-year
period,
there
has been very little real noticeable
overall
progress
in
improving
the
attractiveness
of
priority
neighbourhoods .
Even
with
the
“dedensification” covered by urban
renovation work, the annual flows of
people from QPVs are higher than
flows of people entering them . In
addition, the new residents come from
more
precarious
social,
economic
and family backgrounds than those
leaving these neighbourhoods
There
has
been
an
increase
in
communities
isolating
themselves
and even leaving within some QPVs,
fuelled by a feeling of degeneration .
In the neighbourhoods which have
benefited from the
National Urban
Regeneration Programme (PNRU)
,
quality of life and living conditions
have improved, hugely noticeably in
some cases, such as Les Minguettes,
but, at the same time, the external
image of these neighbourhoods has
not changed, as they are still tarnished
by concerns about safety there . The
main expectation of residents towards
public authorities, and the central
government in particular, is that more
visible, consistent and effective action
should be taken in this area .
The
perceptions
of
schools
are
changing along with perceptions of
their neighbourhoods and the socio-
economic
characteristics
of
the
families living there . Pupils studying
at these schools, which are generally
in priority education schemes, still
have lower school results than pupils
from
their
education
authority,
despite the improvements observed
over the ten-year period . The teams
of teaching staff working in these
neighbourhoods do not change a
great deal and use innovative teaching
methods (as is often the case there),
which are essential for maintaining a
peaceful school environment which
will assist with learning, and for
containing the tensions felt within the
neighbourhood outside of the schools .
However,
the
extra-curricular
and
educational support schemes, which
help to drive the process of opening
Did the attractiveness of QPVs
improve between 2008 and
2018?
2
4 Cour des Comptes data from demographic records on housing and individuals (Fideli) from
the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Research (INSEE) for 2016, 2017
and 2018 .
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Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
up neighbourhoods and to establish
social
diversity
there,
benefitting
young people and their parents, miss
the mark in terms of tackling residents’
needs
for
cultural
and
economic
reasons, but also due to competition
from community organisations that
do not work with public services .
Finally, these districts have been
significantly hit by
an uninterrupted
economic
and
commercial
downturn
over
the
last
decade .
These
neighbourhoods
have
not been greatly helped by the
economic
development
schemes
(which have been ineffective) and
are not managing to attract new
activities,
while
illegal
activities,
which, by their very nature, cannot
be measured properly but are still
very real to residents, are increasing
there .
Neighbourhood
services,
which are not hugely multi-faceted
and are often located on the ground
floor of buildings, are tending to
move
out
to
the
suburbs .
This
economic decay is due to residents’
low purchasing power and due to the
real and perceived perception that
these neighbourhoods are unsafe .
In addition to this general finding
that
priority
neighbourhoods
have not become more attractive,
perceptions towards them among
people who do not live there have
worsened . According to a survey by
the French National Observatory
for Urban Policy (ONPV), one in two
French citizens (51%) think that
the situation has actually worsened
during the last ten years, compared
to one in ten (10%) who think that it
has improved .
Did the attractiveness of QPVs
improve between 2008 and 2018?
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Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
The third question aims to appraise
the
effectiveness
of
schemes
and
public
resources
deployed
in
the
neighbourhoods .
Only an ambiguous answer can be
given here, as it depends on how well
suited the initiatives undertaken are
to meeting the challenges identified .
Different neighbourhoods experience
different levels of success with this .
From this perspective, urban policy
is far too deeply entrenched within
a
prescriptive
national
approach,
accompanied
by
numerous
vague
objectives .
It
barely
reconciles
the
priority given to local initiatives with
the need for coordination based around
exact data and an objective evaluation
of their outcomes . The division of
jurisdictions between public bodies (such
as the central government, métropoles
or
metropolitan
area
communities,
communes
and
intermunicipal
authorities for cooperation between
local authorities (EPCIs)) is not at all
clear, as EPCIs in particular have still
not yet harnessed the expanded powers
assigned to them by the City Planning
Act of 21 February 2014 .
There
has
been
little
progress
in
improving the attractiveness of cities
that have benefited from the PNRU
(€12 billion,
bringing total investment to
€46 .1 billion) . The improvements made
to buildings and spatial organisation
achieved through
urban regeneration
are undeniable . However, despite a
heavily
social
housing
stock
being
(even partially) restored, the lack of
actual strategy and resources to help
push forward social diversity and the
inadequate support for residents has
meant that concentrations of poverty
in these neighbourhoods have hardly
come down . Urban regeneration does
little change to change the image
of these neighbourhoods when the
underlying
safety
and
economic
problems remain . Finally, the time-
frames
for
implementing
urban
renovation projects dilute the positive
effects of their programmes .
Even though it should be its main
vehicle,
the social housing allocation
policy
is
not
helping
to
achieve
the
diversity
objective
in
practice
either
Intermunicipal
or
métropole
housing
allocation
strategies
are
encountering a number of difficulties
(such as a low turnover of residents,
gravity
of
emergency
situations,
political
difficulties
with
indicating
specific criteria (such as nationality)
and incompatible priorities between
the public authorities that make up
Did public schemes adversely
affect any efforts to make QPVs
more attractive between 2008
and 2018?
3
5
The Cour des Comptes, the National Urban Renewal Agency (ANRU) and the implementation of
urban regeneration programmes (PNRU and NPNRU)
, a report produced for the French Senate’s
finance standing committee, April 2020 .
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Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
intercommunalités (intermunicipal local
authorities) . Therefore, they should be
substantially enhanced, by being made
more explicit and more consistent . The
new tools introduced in Act No . 2017-
86 of 27 January 2017 on Equality and
Citizenship (referred to as the “Equality
and
Citizenship
Act”)
are
working
towards this ambition, but are still not
being implemented on a large scale .
With
schools
and
education,
the
specific schemes rolled out as part of
priority education initiatives or urban
contracts are striving, unsuccessfully, to
maintain general school standards and
tackle the specific educational needs
of predominantly vulnerable families .
Therefore, the 80 new educational
housing estates (formed as part of the
“cités éducatives” projects), which are
still in a trial phase, have an ambitious
objective of providing comprehensive
support to the under 25s and ensuring
that there is a consistent approach
in the
joint
action
undertaken
by
national
education
agencies,
other
central government services and local
public authority services . However, this
scheme is too new to be evaluated .
Despite this, the reputation or image of
schools does not seem to be a crucial
factor in decisions made to live in a
neighbourhood, as families do not have
real choices as regards their housing
or their schools . There is very little
tendency towards avoiding using state
schools
(such
as
exemptions from
school catchment areas, enrolment in
private education and homeschooling),
both in numeric and proportional terms,
but it seems to be growing .
Did public schemes adversely affect any
efforts to make QPVs more attractive
between 2008 and 2018?
Pupil numbers at schools in 2015-2016 and 2017-2018,
based on type of school and place of birth (as a percentage)
Source: 2019 ONPV report, data from the French Ministry of State Education (DEPP)
89,6%
90%
77%
23%
77%
23%
2015-2016
Total = 276 100
Total = 287 400
Total = 2 838 800
Total = 2 861 300
2017-2018
2015-2016
2017-2018
Pupils residing in priority
neighbourhoods
Pupils residing out of priority
neighbourhoods
Private secondary schools
Public secondary schools
10,4%
10%
More
problematically,
in
some
neighbourhoods,
community
extra-
curricular
offerings
are
being
developed
, as well as even faith-based
or
community-based
non-contract
schools, which public authorities or
central government offices see as out
of step with the principles of public
service . The proximity of these services
on the ground floors of buildings, with
operating times tailored to family life,
is one of the key factors behind their
development . This situation suggests
that the general schemes (such as
success in education programmes and
homework programmes) or specific
initiatives funded by urban policy do
not meet residents’ needs or do not
always manage to stand out against
competing offerings .
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Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
4
Has coordination between urban
policy and other public service
measures helped to make QPVs
more attractive?
This
final
question
covers
the
coherence
of public initiatives .
While
the
City
Planning
Act
of
21
February
2014
reinforced
the
subsidiary role of urban policy by
stating that neighbourhood difficulties
require
general
public
policies,
initiatives and public services to be
mobilised as a matter of urgency, the
coordination
between
this
general
framework and the specific schemes is
still rather inadequate .
While
priority
neighbourhoods
generally seem to have a strong
yet narrow array of
public facilities
(such as sports facilities, community
centres, cultural facilities and local
service offices), which is in particular
the case for sports facilities, there is a
discrepancy between perception and
reality among residents .
Findings
vary
on
the
subject
of
services .
The
resources
deployed
towards
“general” public services
by
the central government and by other
public
authorities
towards
safety,
cleanliness, early childhood support
and transport are poorly identified,
not
particularly
quantified
and
difficult to “objectivise”, and seemingly
do not tackle the identified needs, and
any attempts made to adapt them are
still negligible and not particularly
effective .
Furthermore, there has been little
progress with ensuring that these
general schemes are able to adapt
to
the
specific
characteristics
of
neighbourhoods and their residents,
in
particular
through
“reinforced
ordinary rules” set out by the general
secretary
of
the
Interministerial
Committee
for
Urban
Affairs
in
2009, such as with the increase to
resources allocated locally . The lack
of widespread zoning (such as “state
recapture” areas covering safety, urban
tax-free
zones
covering
economic
development, school catchment areas
and priority education maps) running
concurrently makes these “reinforced”
initiatives completely unclear .
The limited progress made in clarifying
and
applying
the
“subsidiarity”
principle, which is regularly reiterated,
poses questions about how urban
policy is driven and, in particular, about
how the various powers of different
bodies are actually being combined .
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Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
Overview of specific
areas of focus and
recommendations
5
Investigations by financial courts have
shown a number of inadequacies and
shortcomings in the public schemes
deployed as part of urban policy, which
can vary from one neighbourhood to
another .
The
advice
and
recommendations
put forward aim
to set out a more
appropriate
and
more
effective
policy
framework
,
based
on
the
neighbourhoods investigated and the
national summary report produced .
They focus on devising urban policy
initiatives, looking into their structure,
their objectives, their coordination
and the resources allocated to them .
Making urban policy
decentralisation more
effective by allowing greater
differentiation around
“neighbourhood projects”
Reforms to urban policy covered by the
Lamy Act in 2014 aimed to reinforce
partnership-based
governance,
assigning key roles to EPCIs by reflecting
local objectives in urban contracts . As
a result, in reality, the scope of their
operations spreads across communes,
wider municipal areas and métropoles .
Six years on, little has been achieved,
to say the least . The national and
overarching objectives set out in law do
not help with expressing local priorities
and initiatives inspired by the specific
characteristics of the neighbourhoods
themselves,
nor
with
monitoring
and evaluating these initiatives at a
neighbourhood level . In addition,the lack
of alignment in public initiative zoning
for economic, educational and safety
matters
is
hampering
collaborative
initiatives at a national level . In fact, this
zoning has been unable to deliver on any
such initiatives .
The
deterioration
of
some
neighbourhoods,
the
isolationist
tendencies observed and the limited
success of the policies implemented
so far are major evidence that the
2023-2028 urban contracts need to
properly reflect the decentralisation
enshrined in law, with the central
government focusing on setting out
an adaptable common framework,
by overseeing its implementation,
which has hardly been done .
The Cour des Comptes proposes making
decentralisation
more
effective
by
allowing local differentiations around
“neighbourhood projects” included in
each urban contract and by making
their own priorities, objectives and
monitoring indicators clear The most
suitable signatory local public authority
should be tasked with implementing
and evaluating these contracts .
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Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
Overview of specific areas of focus and
recommendations
Specify the direction and
scope of social and functional
diversity objectives in
neighbourhoods and align
them with an explicit multi-
year strategy focusing on
increasing social housing
stock, allocating housing and
assigning business premises.
Despite its ambiguities
6
, the shared
objective
of
greater
social
and
functional diversity in neighbourhoods,
reiterated in the most general terms
7
, is
not being achieved .
This failure is due to neighbourhoods’
lack of “natural” attractiveness, the lack
of alternative housing for residents and
the shortcomings or inconsistencies
in strategies for allocating housing .
In addition, in many neighbourhoods,
there has been very little change in
rebuilding the social housing stock,
despite
the
urban
regeneration
measures . In the rare instances where
diversity
(measured
solely
by
the
income level) has seemingly increased,
this has been due to factors unrelated
to urban policy .
In
order
to
start
making
the
social
diversity
objective
operate
effectively, it needs to be reassessed,
with focuses placed on specifying
its
scope
and,
where
applicable,
on
setting
realistic
targets
and
allocating specific resources as part
of each neighbourhood project . If
not, questions will be raised as to why
resources are being allocated towards
unachievable objectives .
No further progress has been made
with functional diversity . Conversely,
the economic and legal commercial
offerings have ebbed away in most of
the neighbourhoods, exacerbated by
the trend of allocating vacated premises
or premises on the ground floor of
buildings to community or semi-public
operations rather than taking the risk of
helping businesses set up there .
In order to achieve the objective
of establishing greater social and
functional
diversity
in
priority
neighbourhoods,
it
is
inevitably
important to curb the trend of poverty
and
problems
being
concentrated
there, and therefore slow down the
arrival of the most insecure individuals
and families .
The
New
Urban
Regeneration
Programme
(NPNRU),
established
through the
City
Planning Act
of
21 February 2014, contains guidelines
for doing so, but they still do not seem
to counteract the trend in the poorest
sections of the population concentrating
together,
which
contradicts
the
objectives set out in law .
6 While functional diversity may be understood as placing a wide range of initiatives (such as
housing, businesses and public services) together in the same area, there is no official definition for
social diversity, as noted by academic Thomas Kirszbaum (
Mixité sociale dans l’habitat : revue de la
littérature dans une perspective comparative, Paris, La Documentation française/Halde, 2008
) .
7 The 1991 Urban Planning Act already touched upon the aim of establishing “coexistence between
the different sections of the population” in neighbourhoods, but a social diversity objective only
emerged with the 2000 Urban Solidarity and Regeneration Act, which mentioned it 12 times .
19
Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
Overview of specific areas of focus and
recommendations
The Cour des Comptes proposes a
reassessment of these social diversity
objectives and recommends specifying
their purpose and scope, as well as
how they are measured, at the very
least . This clearly outlined strategy
in
neighbourhood
projects
and
urban contracts should be reflected
in
intermunicipal
agreements
for
allocating housing and should apply
to housing authorities and central
government services when they plan
to erect temporary housing structures .
As part of neighbourhood
projects, better coordinate
urban regeneration with social,
educational and economic
support for residents.
While
urban
regeneration
work
has
improved
the
condition
of
buildings, the spatial organisation of
neighbourhoods and, more generally,
their residents’ living environments,
there could have been more ambitious
functional
diversity
objectives,
particularly with regard to businesses .
However, more than anything, the
social dimension of urban regeneration
work for improving residents’ lives,
which has not been very effective thus
far, should strive to go further . Urban
regeneration has unfortunately not
been devised in conjunction with other
support measures from the outset .
Support for residents, particularly
the youngest, must be a priority for
everyone involved in urban policy .
However, this priority is barely being
translated
into
comprehensive
proposals that are embraced by
their beneficiaries . The educational
housing estates are drawing on this
finding, but were established too
recently to be evaluated . However,
the Cour des Comptes would like
to reiterate
8
the need to tailor
teaching methods to pupils’ needs
and allow priority education schools
to act more independently . Looking
beyond academic measures, there
has not been a great take-up of
seemingly suitable schemes (such
as school canteens, French lessons
and school support), due to a lack
of information or motivation among
beneficiaries . This gap in the public
offering could result in it being
replaced by community offerings in
some neighbourhoods .
Finally, any investments required by
these specific areas of focus must
be based on a stringent evaluation
of the schemes rolled out in the
neighbourhoods, even though there
have been widespread shortcomings
in this area . As it is already existed
as
part
of
certain
exceptional
investment
programmes
or
programmes
funded
by
the
European
Union,
the
obligation
to earmark a certain amount of
resources to for an evaluation of
their effects should form an integral
part of urban contracts and urban
regeneration projects .
The
Cour
des
Comptes
recommends
better
coordinating
urban
regeneration
with
social,
educational and economic support
for residents of the neighbourhoods
8 The Cour des Comptes,
Priority education, thematic public report, 2018.
20
Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
Overview of specific areas of focus and
recommendations
affected, particularly the youngest,
by
strengthening
the
resources
specifically allocated to this support .
The
effectiveness
and
efficiency
of this support must be evaluated
using the required resources and
based on appropriate data, which
have yet to be harnessed .
Reinforce the coordination of
initiatives funded by urban
policy allocations and by
general public policies to
better tackle the specific needs
of QPVs and their residents.
The City Planning Act of 21 February
2014 reiterated that “general public
policies
and
services”
must
be
mobilised urgently to reduce the
disparities
experienced
in
priority
neighbourhoods .
However,
this
mobilisation has not been greatly
analysed, meaning that there is little
information about it, even though
findings suggest that it is not meeting
residents’ needs . In addition, specific
urban policy budgets may be used
to fill this gap, or even replace some
policies and services (for example,
with extra-curricular measures) .
The
inability
to
quantify
(and
therefore demonstrate) how present
and how active public services are
being
and
quantify
their
related
funding
is
contributing
to
the
persistent discrepancy between the
visible presence of public facilities and
their perception among residents . This
lack of figures is fuelling a recurrent
yet
largely
unconstructive
debate
between bodies on the coordination
of general and specific services .
The Cour des Comptes recommends
improving
all
tools
for
analysing
the specific requirements of these
neighbourhoods and their residents,
ensuring that general schemes are
properly
calibrated
and
ensuring
proper
coordination
with
specific
urban
policy
allocations .
It
also
proposes
that
national
and
local
bodies be given access to the required
databases for them to quantify public
measures
in
neighbourhoods
that
would benefit their residents, in order
to coordinate and evaluate the publicly
funded initiatives rolled out, including
by
and
for
housing
authorities,
working as closely as possible with
these neighbourhoods to do so .
21
Audit recommendations
Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
Specific area of focus 1: Make
urban- policy decentralisation
more effective by enabling
increased distinctions around
“neighbourhood projects”
1.
Develop a separate approach
to urban policy, with each priority
neighbourhood incorporated within
a “neighbourhood project” included
in the urban contract and setting out
their own priorities, objectives and
monitoring indicators . (
The Ministry
of Regional Cohesion, the Ministry of
Housing and the National Agency for
Regional Cohesion (ANCT)
)
2.
Ensure that urban contracts are
governance documents that appoint
a public authority or implementing
partner responsible for rolling or
evaluating each initiative or set of
initiatives . (
The Ministry of Regional
Cohesion, the Ministry of Housing
and the National Agency for Regional
Cohesion (ANCT)
)
3.
Help put together coherent sets
of initiatives by authorising standard
delegations of powers and resources
between
public
authorities
at
a
neighbourhood
level .
(Ministry
of
Housing and Ministry of Home Affairs)
4.
Operating under the authority of
local offices of the central govern-
ment and with their agreement, au-
thorise urban contracts to adjust the
zoning used for educational, econo-
mic and safety matters in order to
align with the priority geographical
areas as closely as possible . (
The
Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of
Home Affairs and the ANCT
)
Specific focus 2: Specify the
direction and scope of social and
functional diversity objectives
in districts and align them with
an explicit multi-year strategy
focusing on increasing social
housing stock, allocating housing
and assigning business premises
5.
Outline the strategy for increasing
social
and
functional
diversity
in
neighbourhood projects and urban
contracts, clearly set out quantitative
and qualitative targets and introduce
specific
targets
for
each
priority
neighbourhood
that
apply
to
housing authorities in intermunicipal
agreements on housing allocation .
(
The Ministry of Housing and the ANCT)
6.
Incorporate a section focusing on
pre-existing or planned temporary
housing structures in each neighbou-
rhood project and ensure that they
are rolled out in compliance with
numerical social diversity objectives .
(The Ministry of Public Accounts, the
Ministry of Housing and the ANCT)
Specific area of focus 3: As part of
neighbourhood projects, better
coordinate urban regeneration
with social, educational and
economic support for residents
7.
Increase the resources allocated
to social, educational and economic
support as part of urban regeneration
projects, by earmarking a larger
proportion of these resources to
them .
(The ANCT and the ANRU)
22
Audit recommendations
Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
8.
Incorporate
a
comprehensive
support pathway for young people
from childhood up to the end of
adolescence, as a central thread to
future
2023-2028
neighbourhood
projects and urban contracts . (The
ANCT and the Ministry of Education)
9.
In the next generation of urban
contracts
and
in
each
urban
regeneration
project,
allocate
a
minimum proportion of budgets for
evaluating schemes, at their mid-way
point and when they have been fully
rolled out . (The ANCT and the ANRU)
Specific area of focus 4: Strengthen
the
coordination
of
initiatives
funded by urban policy allocations
and by general public policies, in
order to more effectively tackle the
specific needs of QPVs and their
residents
10.
Provide
national
and
local
bodies with census, monitoring and
geolocation
databases,
which
will
help to quantify public initiatives in
neighbourhoods that would benefit
their residents .
(The Ministry of Home
Affairs, the Ministry of the Economy and
Finance, the ANCT and the INSEE)
11.
Bring
together
the
different
schemes
covering
safety
and
combatting criminal behaviour within
urban contracts and neighbourhood
projects, and ensure that they are
consistent .
(The Ministry of Home
Affairs and the ANCT)
12.
Ensure that general schemes
are tailored to local needs before
assigning specific resources .
(The
Ministry of Home Affairs and the
ANCT)
13.
Monitor the maintenance and
major repairs policy for social housing
stock in order to ensure that specific
allocations are used properly (such
as urban regeneration and property
tax allowances) and grant financial
benefits on the basis of adhering to
the objectives of urban contracts .
(The Ministry of Housing, the ANCT
and the National Social Housing
Management Agency (ANCOLS))
23
Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
The eight priority neighbourhoods investigated
Avignon (84)
Quartier de Saint-Chamand
Nice et Saint-André (06)
Quartier d’Ariane - Le Manoir
Tourcoing (59)
Quartier de La Bourgogne
Population: 6 836
Area: 62 ha
Foreigners (%): 17,8
Poverty rate: 56,3
Maubeuge (59)
Quartier des Provinces françaises
Population: 1 507
Area: 5 ha
Foreigners (%): 15,6
Poverty rate: 70
Sarcelles (95)
Quartier de Rosiers-Chantepie
Population: 4 267
Area: 14 ha
Foreigners (%): 21,7
Poverty rate: 34,5
Sevran (93)
Quartier de Montceleux - Pont-Blanc
Population: 6 901
Area: 28 ha
Foreigners (%): 28,5
Poverty rate: 39,3
Population: 2 813
Area: 11 ha
Foreigners (%): 24,9
Poverty rate: 58,4
Rive de Gier (42)
Quartier de Grand-Pont
Population: 1 186
Area: 8 ha
Foreigners (%): 23,3
Poverty rate: 40,7
Saint-Fons et Vénissieux (69)
Quartier des Minguettes
Population: 21 966
Area: 146 ha
Foreigners (%): 26,1
Poverty rate: 48,6
Population: 10 217
Area: 36 ha
Foreigners (%): 35,3
Poverty rate: 46,2
Source: Cour des Comptes, data from the Urban SGI
Answers to four questions for the
eight QPVs investigated
24
Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
Answers to four questions for the eight QPVs
investigated
Is urban policy taking into account factors that affect the attractiveness?
Summary of the responses for the eight QPV studied and presented in
addition to this report
Minguettes-
Clochettes
Rather no
It’s only marginally and indirectly that the actions implemented in
the frame of urban policy addressed the attractiveness of the
neighbourhood.
Maubeuge
Provinces
Françaises
Rather no
The credits specific to urban policy, oriented towards the funding of
association, concern mostly animation actions or social support.
Police action, if it permitted to reduce the volume of the facts
recorded, has paradoxically reinforced the perception of a dangerous
neighbourhood.
Nicel’Ariane
Rather yes
Public actors have included the dimension of attractiveness in
their actions, with for example a reflexion on the image of the
priority neighbourhood, but the results do not match the
ambitions.
Rive-de-Gier
Grand-Pont
Rather yes
The urban policy focused its intervention on the urban renovation.
Avignon Saint-
Chamand
Rather no
The reinforcement of the attractiveness of the neighbourhood is
not a priority objective of the urban contract, which aims
essentially to reduce the socio-economic fragilities of the residents
of the priority neighbourhood.
Sarcelles Rosiers-
Chantepie
Rather yes
The
urban
contract
explicitly
mentions
the
notion
of
attractiveness. However, there is a gap between the actions
funded and the ambitious strategy stated in the urban contract.
Sevran Montceleux
-Pont-Blanc
Rather yes
The actions conducted in the security domain aimed clearly to
address the handicaps of the neighbourhood.
Tourcoing La
Bourgogne
Rather yes
The weaknesses and assets of the neighbourhood are well
identified by the public authorities, and the institutions are
adapting their practice to the specific difficulties.
25
Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
Answers to four questions for the eight QPVs
investigated
Did the attractiveness of these neighbourhoods improve?
Summary of the responses for the eight neighbourhoods studied and
presented in addition to this report :
Minguettes-
Clochettes
Yes, but partially
The improvement of the neighbourhood’s attractiveness is real
but stays limited and heterogeneous between the five different
sectors. The structural handicaps of the neighbourhood
contribute to its negative perception, despite its partial
renovation.
Maubeuge Provinces
Françaises
No
During the studied period, the neighbourhood stayed a place
of concentration of fragile populations. No sign shows the
arrival of less precarious people.
Nice l’Ariane
Rather no,
or only marginally via accession operations
Despite the importance of the means mobilized and the clear
transformation of the living environment, the residential and
scholar attractiveness barely improved. The neighboorhood
continues to suffer from a very negative image.
Rive-de-Gier Grand-
Pont
Yes,
but partially and in a fragile way
The attractiveness of the neighbourhood improved, as the
result of urban renovation.
Avignon Saint-
Chamand
Rather no
The attractiveness of the neighbourhood stays limited. The
residents seek to leave the neighbourhood.
Sarcelles Rosiers-
Chantepie
Rather yes
The
neighbourhood
of
Rosiers-Chantepie
is
not
more
attractive than ten years ago. However, the image of the
neighbourhood and its visibility improved, thanks to the
implantation of important equipment’s decided outside the
frame of the urban policy.
Sevran Montceleux –
Pont-Blanc
Rather yes but relatively
As a result of the urban renovation, the social landlords
express the feeling that it’s less difficult to rent their
accommodations. The social characteristics of the residents
however still show an extreme fragility.
Tourcoing-
La Bourgogne
Rather no
During the 2008-2018 period, no major intervention was
conducted in the neighbourhood that has important urban and
social disadvantages. The neighbourhood is generally rejected.
26
Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
Answers to four questions for the eight QPVs
investigated
Did public measures permitted to improve the attractiveness of the eight studied
neighbourhoods?
Summary of the responses for the eight neighbourhoods studied and presented in
addition to this report :
Minguettes-
Clochettes
Yes, partially
The actions conducted seem to have amortized the increase of the
socio-economic difficulties of the residents of the neighbourhood.
Maubeuge
Provinces
Françaises
Rather no
The public action was limited to the management of the social
difficulties of the residents, to avoid a more important degradation
of their situation.
Nice l’Ariane
Rather no
The actions conducted mainly limited the consequences of the
durable fragility of the residents.
Rive-de-Gier
Grand-Pont
Yes, partially
The
different
measures
had
various
results
in
terms
of
attractiveness : the objective of improvement of the access of the
neighbourhood is achieved. The residential diversification was
initiated, without any real impact on the social diversity and on the
concentration of foreign populations.
Avignon Saint-
Chamand
Rather no
The actions conducted by the different actors remained partitioned,
and have mainly permitted to limit the consequences of the
pauperisation and of the reduction of the social diversity noticed.
Sarcelles
Rosiers-
Chantepie
Rather no
The public action, a real social shock-absorber in addition to ordinary
law, permitted to improve a bit the image of the neighboorhood and
of the living conditions of its residents, without however achieving to
make it more attractive.
Sevran
Montceleux –
Pont-Blanc
Yes but insufficiently
The public action has globally permitted to stop the negative spiral
suffered from the neighbourhood, in particular in terms of security
and delinquency. It was not however sufficient to put the
neighbourhood on a positive path.
Tourcoing
La Bourgogne
Rather no
The strategy regarding security has positive results, without
achieving to put an end on the negative image of the neighbourhood.
The public action does not achieve to improve structurally the
situation of the residents, to address the dysfunctions of the
neighbourhood and to make its image evolve.
27
Summary of the Thematic Public Report of the Cour des comptes
Answers to four questions for the eight QPVs
investigated
Did ordinary law benefit to the eight districts studied ?
Summary of the responses for the eight neighbourhoods studied and presented in
addition to this report :
Minguettes-
Clochettes
Not systematically
The objectives of welcoming the more modest households and
improving the social diversity are antagonists.
The objectives of urban policy are insufficiently taken into account
regarding some ordinary law policies. Only a more directive leading
of the housing attribution policy in the social housing field would
permit to really change the image of the neighbourhood and its
attractiveness.
Maubeuge
Provinces
Françaises
Rather no
The transversal approach of public intervention though ordinary law
measures regarding education and training, or housing and living
conditions needs a better coordination between the municipal and
intercommunal levels, but also a wider adhesion of the people that
may benefit from this intervention.
Nice l’Ariane
Rather yes
regarding equipments, but only partly regarding services
The presence of public equipment was reinforced. The actions
conducted in the frame of urban policy have a tendency to be
replaced by ordinary law policies. The actions based on ordinary law
deployed without any adaptation to the specificity of the populations
fail to address their needs.
Rive-de-Gier
Grand-Pont
Not systematically
Ordinary
law
measures
benefit
to
the
neighbourhood
in
a
heterogeneous way.
Avignon Saint-
Chamand
No
The financial context sometime justified decisions that reduced the
intensity of ordinary law policies.
Sarcelles
Rosiers-
Chantepie
Rather no
Several entire parts of certain public policies (employment policy, or
economic development policy notably) are barely deployed in the
neighbourhood.
Sevran
Montceleux-
Pont-Blanc
Rather no
Lacking of sufficient means, the neighbourhood does not fully
benefit from every existing mechanism.
Tourcoing
La Bourgogne
Rather yes
The neighbourhood benefits from reinforced measures in terms of
security and education policy, corresponding to its particular
difficulties and to the specific needs of the population.
