In the Coconière district, on the edge of downtown Laval, the old building block which bordered the ring road has given way to a modern residence, enhanced with duplex apartments. The car parks were buried underground, private gardens were created on the ground floor and the building lobbies faced the street. It’s hard to imagine that before the work, this landlocked site housed a deal point and had a very bad reputation.
This exemplary transformation, which combines private spaces and peaceful common areas, was carried out by the city and its social landlord, Méduane Habitat. It is part of a vast urban renovation project in the working-class neighborhoods of Laval, which concerns 1,700 housing units, for a budget of 200 million euros.
La Coconière before the rehabilitation operation. / Laval Town Hall
A year ago, these neighborhoods were the first in France to experience an outbreak of fever after the death of young Nahel in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine). On the evening of June 28, a recreational center in the Fourches district and a fast-food restaurant in the Saint-Nicolas district were set on fire. The tension subsided quite quickly but its intensity was surprising.
“Laval had experienced riots since 1995, after the death of a young man from Saint-Nicolas while in police custodyrecalls Florian Bercault, mayor of Laval since 2020. But so many mortars fired for hours, firefighters stoned and the snowball effect of social networks, it was unprecedented. »
Promote the emancipation of residents
Several short-term measures have been taken for these neighborhoods which combine unemployment, poverty and a high rate of single-parent families: video surveillance, increased presence of street educators, reporting of difficult situations via school principals, extension of the hours of the teen centers in the evening… In the longer term, the town hall plans to set up an urban farm in Saint-Nicolas, a neighborhood management company in Les Fourches to create jobs by providing services to residents, or even a mobile police station in a truck designed to reestablish close ties with the police.
“Just after the riots, elected officials went door-to-door in pairsrecalls the mayor. From these exchanges was born the desire to directly consult citizens to promote their emancipation. » Accompanied by two expert firms to ensure its impartiality, the town hall brought together a citizens’ convention of 52 residents with varied profiles (including thirty from working-class neighborhoods) after a draw. They notably benefited from prior training, met over three weekends between April and June and received two former ministers: Jean-Louis Borloo and Emmanuelle Cosse. The citizens’ convention submitted its manifesto to Laval elected officials on June 26 and will make a public presentation on July 9, after the legislative elections.
Security and living together
Several themes are addressed, such as security, youth and parenthood, local services and living together. “Security clearly emerged as a central issueconfides Franck Fardella, IT executive at Lactalis – the city’s largest employer, who was chosen at random. Even if we are aware that we live well in Laval, we are representative of medium-sized towns that do not want to change. »
In Laval, 52 residents are considering proposals to improve living conditions in the neighborhood. / Martin Cotta / Radio France/Maxppp
Annabelle Monthé-Lopez, 39, assistant in an agricultural union and resident of the Saint-Nicolas district, applied to the convention herself. “It’s great to speak out at times other than elections, especially when we see the latest results in our neighborhood: it’s the extreme right and then the extreme left candidates who come out on top. »
She retains from this work striking figures on poverty and the importance of speaking out together. “I wish everyone to have this human and intellectual experience. We would be better off if we did more of it, provided we are not as disappointed as the old people at the climate convention!”she slips, in reference to Emmanuel Macron’s initiative of 2019. The mayor also promises an action plan resulting from the manifesto in September.
Allisson, a single mother of six children who lives in the renovated Coconière residence, has not heard of this approach at all. Her ideas for living better? “More play parks for children and conviviality between people: we don’t talk enough between neighbors…” Proof that the urban is nothing without the human.
