Although the situation is improving, Marseille remains one of the cities in France most affected by social segregation according to a recent INSEE study. A real divide remains in particular between the impoverished northern neighborhoods and the wealthier neighborhoods of the south and east.
For some, it is the archetype of the melting pot city, a city characterized by its large mix of populations on the shores of the Mediterranean. But the reality is quite different, according to INSEE. Social diversity in Marseille remains a veritable myth, according to a recent study by the French statistics institute. In first place in the ranking of cities with the highest rate of social segregation in 2004, Marseille has fallen to eighth position. If the situation improves, Marseille remains among “the most segregated cities in France”as noted by the Figaro Stéphane Lhermitte, deputy regional director of INSEE in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.
In this study published last October, carried out by Alexandra Ferret and Sébastien Novella in several large urban centers in the region, INSEE affirms that “the Marseille cluster is marked by strong income disparities”with “a strong dichotomy between north and south”. “If the poorest populations are the most spatially segregated, the wealthiest are also highly segregated”. In detail, the poor are concentrated in the northern districts of the city “and part of the 1is arrondissement»near Saint-Charles station. “It’s in the south, in the 7e et 8e districts, that are the most highly segregated wealthy neighborhoods (Bompard, Roucas Blanc, Périer in particular), as well as to the east with certain neighborhoods of the 9e11e et 12e districts or even the commune of Allauch”, estimates INSEE.
North/south divide
Also, the divide between north and south in Marseille remains gaping, year after year. “Generally speaking, the diversity in terms of segregation between the different cities of France depends in part on the history of urban development, for example with the location of facilities or the construction of large complexes in the 1960s,” underlines Stéphane Lhermitte. During this period, these large complexes sprouted like mushrooms in Marseille, particularly in the north of the city. “Marseille is perhaps a more unequal city than the others, in which 20% of the wealthiest declare income 4.5 times higher than the lowest 20%”recalls Stéphane Lhermitte. Only a few city center districts are characterized by greater social diversity.
However, this social segregation is slightly different depending on the level of income according to INSEE. “In Marseille, between 2014 and 2020 we see a downward trend in the segregation of the poorest and an upward trend in the segregation of the wealthiest,” remarks Stéphane Lhermitte. In certain areas on the outskirts of the northern districts, such as Joliette, this trend is true and can be partly explained by renovation and development of the district carried out for several years. On the other hand, among the wealthiest, there is according to Stéphane Lhermitte “an upward trend among the wealthiest among themselves, which is however not specific to the city.”
In a study published in 2018, Élisabeth Dorier and Julien Dario noted the presence in Marseille of “mosaics of separate enclaves”particularly in the southern districts of the city, where closed residences for wealthy residents are legion. These large complexes with barriers at their entrance are inaccessible and sometimes even permanently guarded by security services. “The enclosure process is becoming commonplace”note the two researchers. “It appears that closed residential complexes are more numerous in the irises (blocks grouped together for INSEE statistical information, Editor’s note) more affluent, in number and surface area,” they add. According to the study, 1,531 closed residences were identified in Marseille in 2014.
