'Banlieue' Network: Care for the Future of Segregated Urban Communities

Lead Research Organisation: Oxford Brookes University
Department Name: Faculty of Tech, Design and Environment

Abstract

Banlieue Network focuses on deprived suburbs in contemporary France known as 'banlieues'. In recent years, this term has become synonymous with pockets of exclusion on the peripheries of most major cities. Built in the 1950s and 1960s to address the housing shortage, banlieues suffer from insufficient social services and high unemployment and delinquency rates. Suburbs in the Greater Paris area have been the scene of urban violence since the early 1980s but the riots which occurred in 2005, 2007 and 2010, reached an unprecedented scale. In the wake of these outbreaks, media accounts and social commentators highlighted the extent of the social divide in France between residents of segregated urban peripheries and those of more affluent areas.

The French case is particularly important for an exploration of the complex relationship between space, community, identity and politics. Unlike in Britain or the United States where communities have been the main objects of urban policies, affirmative action in France focuses mainly on urban areas. Since the early 1980s, state interventions have paradoxically contributed to the consolidation of negative clichés associated with 'banlieues'. At a time when segregated communities constitute an unprecedented challenge for urban societies, Banlieue Network takes a novel approach to these issues. It aligns theoretical research with practical, hands-on approaches in order to learn from the shortcomings of previous urban policies and provide insights into the mechanisms of social exclusion and spatial segregation, by confronting various types of official and alternative discourses in which French 'banlieues' are represented.

Although the primary focus of Banlieue Network is on disadvantaged neighbourhoods in France, we expect the network to extend in the long term to include comparative studies of segregated communities in other European cities. The proposed innovative methods will be applied in future to address the multifaceted challenges faced by deprived areas in different contexts.
Banlieue Network's key objective is to build towards an international network addressing urban stigmatisation that will bring together academics, policy makers and user communities, using cross-disciplinary and multi-user approach. Further objectives include:

1. Engage scholars drawn from disciplines including architecture, urban planning, sociology, urban geography, cultural studies, sociolinguistics, comparative literature, and film studies in a cross-disciplinary research collaboration addressing segregated communities.

2. Connect international scholars with user communities, stakeholders and policy makers; create opportunities for debate, knowledge transfer and sharing expertise and best practice; and produce a range of practical solutions to improve the effectiveness of strategic planning for the future.

3. Integrate artists and local residents into the network and its creative activities through an Advisory Board.

4. Promote social justice by challenging the negative clichés attached to segregated communities.

5. Ensure sustainability through further funding applications, regular meetings of the steering committee, publicising the network and recruiting new members.

Banlieue Network will explore these objectives through the creation of events and outputs including

a. an exploratory workshop, a summer school, two interdisciplinary conferences and regular meetings of the steering committee

b. a touring exhibition displayed in London and the Greater Paris area, a non-academic publication showcasing creative work produced during the summer school and a peer-reviewed scholarly book

c. A website charting the progress of the project, which will serve as an archive for the creative texts, photographs, video documents and podcasts which will endure communication between participants and wider audiences.

Planned Impact

1. The immediate 'user' beneficiaries will be members of segregated urban communities living in Greater Paris. Approximately 50 residents will take part in workshops as part of the Summer School (July 2012) and will have the opportunity to express their experiences through a variety of creative media in collaboration with scholars and artists. This work will be showcased in France, Britain and other European countries through an exhibition and a bilingual non-academic book communicating the 'banlieue' experience beyond its locality and providing a resource to challenge negative stereotypes. Societal and cultural impact will be achieved at individual and community levels through increased creative skills, confidence and exchanging ideas. Community cohesion will be increased through active participation and pride in individual and collective achievements. Establishing a dialogue with researchers will help residents gain insights to mechanisms of urban segregation and equip them to address economic and social exclusionary practices.

2. Audiences for the book and exhibition will benefit from greater understanding of related issues. Venues hosting the exhibition (The French Institute in London and the City Councils in Drancy and Villiers-le-Bel) will benefit from this addition to their programme and, potentially, new audiences.

3. Segregated communities in France, Britain and elsewhere in Europe, will benefit from the international knowledge exchange and shared best practice facilitated by the network, through a comparative approach that characterises the network's activities. By creating a forum for discussion and the exchange of ideas between scholars, urban practitioners, community members and policy makers, the network will promote innovative and transferable models to tackle urban segregation on a holistic basis.

4. The cross-sectoral nature of the network will generate unique benefits for its members and potentially wider society by contributing to advances in knowledge and generating innovative, productive interactions. Policy makers and urban practitioners will benefit from this exchange of ideas with the international research community by exploring how to best utilise resources, knowledge and expertise to support segregated communities. The involvement of policy makers has the potential to impact directly on the quality of life in suburban areas by providing them with conceptual and applied knowledge to inform policy development and implementation.

5. Photographers and writers collaborating in the workshops will benefit by developing their skills and practise through immersion in the cutting-edge creative energy generated by the cross-cultural influences of the 'banlieue'. Being associated with the project will enhance their international profile and extend their own creative and professional networks. Acknowledging the role of creative practise as part of a multi-faceted research methodology provides a blueprint for the developing similar work in future.

6. The international research community will benefit from this project by fostering collaboration with a wide range of international partners across disciplinary boundaries inside and outside academia. Participants will benefit from international mobility to develop various outreach activities aligning theoretical research with practical, hands-on approaches with the highest priority community needs. The network will be an important opportunity for international scholars to advance knowledge in the field of community-based action research, develop innovative research and dissemination methods and involve young researchers in the design and delivery of innovative programs such as the planned workshops, conferences and summer school. The network is expected to develop alternative future visions and pathways for sustainable communities so challenging social exclusion and deprivation in urban neighbourhoods.
 
Title Voices and Images from the Banlieue. Bilingual collective art book. 
Description << Voices and Images from the Banlieue / Voix et Images de la Banlieue >> is a bilingual art book edited by Juliet Carpenter and Christina Horvath. The book seeks to showcase the art work produced during the Summer School by the participants and the resident artists who approached the banlieue in various ways. Writer FabienneKanor (Chapter 1) interviewed residents in Saint-Denis, gathering testimonies on their roots, identities and belonging. John Perivolaris and Edward Welch (Chapter 2) collected soundscapes along the tram line connecting Saint-Denis with Drancy and Bondy. Jean-Michel Delage (Chapter 3) led the group on a photographic walk around the iconic football stadium built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Photographer Samuel NjaKwa and writer Mamadou Mahmoud N'Dongo worked in Drancy, one tracing World War II deportees and members of the resistance movement (Chapter 4), the other interviewing inhabitants about their experience of the city (Chapter 5). MishAminoff offered a scrapbook and photography workshop to groups of children in Drancy (Chapter 6), KalouKaba taught young residents in Bondy how to explore their environment using home-made pinhole cameras (Chapter 7). Equipped with sketch books, the Summer School participants walked along the Canal de l'Ourcq from central Paris to the music cultural centre Canal 93 in the suburb of Bobigny, tracing their path through drawing under the direction of artist Liza Dimbleby (Chapter 8). Bruno Levasseur (Chapter 9) led us on an early morning walk through the iconic Cité des 4000 while Sophie Tonneau (Chapter 10) ran theatre workshops with another group of children in Bondy around the themes of self/other. Dianne Regisford (Chapter 11) designed social sculpture enactment "One bowl" which allowed the participants to summarise their experience of the banlieue. Guided by the artists, Summer School participants discovered key landmarks of Seine-Saint-Denis, such as the Stade de France, the cathedral Basilica of Saint-Denis where French kings were buried, and the Jewish deportation memorial in Drancy. But they also witnessed the sites of everyday life such as train stations, markets, and fountains converted into swimming pools by local children. We photographed bridges, graffiti-covered walls, garden city areas, high-rise housing estates some of which have been condemned to demolition under current urban regeneration programs and tried to express their impressions through photography (chapter 12). Drawing on the creative outputs from the Summer School, the book seeks to communicate the "banlieue experience" beyond its locality. Resulting from an immersion in the creative energy generated by the banlieue's cross-cultural influences, the works reflect individual perceptions of the urban periphery. It is hoped that the richness of the images and texts goes some way towards communicating the diversity of the urban periphery and the dynamic synergies between various art forms. 
Type Of Art Artwork 
Year Produced 2014 
Impact Copies of the book have been purchased by and donated to libraries and individuals all over the worlds, including the British Library, The Bodleian Libraries, Cambridge University Library, the National Library of Scotland, the National Library of Wales and the Library of Trinity College Dublin as well as the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and municipal libraries in Greater Paris' several banlieues including Drancy, Bondy and Saint-Denis. The book is available in free access online. For more information, see under Publications. 
URL https://www.academia.edu/10176887/Voices_and_Images_from_the_Banlieue_Voix_et_Images_de_la_Banlieue
 
Title Voices and Images from the Banlieue. Touring Exhibition. 
Description The exhibition 'Voices and Images from the Banlieue' is part of a range of publicly accessible outputs created by Banlieue Network, along with a non-academic publication, a scholarly book and internet resources including video documentation. The exhibition was created in April 2014, to showcase artwork resulting from the Summer School, designed and run in Greater Paris in July 2013. Composed of 41 photographs, paintings and drawings, it was first showcased at Oxford Brookes' Glass Tank Gallery, 3rd April-1st May 2014. It was then moved in the Echomusée de la Goutte d'Or gallery in Paris where it was showcased 3-15 July 2014. Although there were only these two presentations planned, the exhibition received several invitations and it continues touring, currently in Lyon, at the Bibliothèque Universitaire Chevreul de l'Université Lyon 2, 21 November 2014 -5 January 2015, and then at the Bibliothèque Universitaire Bron de l'Université, Lyon 2, 8 January- 5th February 2015. Future dates are planned in Bordeaux, Cergy-Pontoise, Aberdeen and Hamburg. 
Type Of Art Artwork 
Year Produced 2014 
Impact When first exhibited at the Glass Tank at Oxford Brookes, the exhibition attracted visitors from the UK as well as internationally. Among the visitors, there were artists, students and young researchers as well as urban practitioners an the delegates of the conference 'The banlieue far from the clichés' which coincided with the exhibition opening. Visitors' feedback shows that over 85% of the audience found the exhibition informative and aesthetically appealing while 65% estimated that it changed their perception of the French urban periphery and urban segregation in general. At the second venue in Paris, the exhibition met broader audiences composed of artists, policy makers, tourists, groups of young visitors, families, inhabitants of the Goutte d'Or neighbourhood (a traditionally working class inner-city neighbourhood which shares some although not all the issues experienced by the inhabitants of the nearby banlieues). Many of the visitors don't consider themselves as gallery-goers but were attracted by some of the events happening during the exhibition such as live graffiti, slam, and rap performances, round table debates and encounter with artists. 36% of the visitors said they discovered new information about the banlieues and 57% found it inspiring and thought it changed their perception of vulnerable urban areas in France. The exhibition in Oxford and Paris reached out to about 500 visitors. 
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFQmoP7WkcI
 
Description KEY FINDINGS

1) Significant new research network leading to new collaborations and partnerships.

The project's primary aim was to create opportunities for knowledge transfer across the disciplines by establishing Banlieue Network, an organically expanding network that provides beneficial links between scholars, policy makers and user communities. Over the 24 months of the project, Principal Investigator Christina Horvath (Brookes, English Modern Languages) and Co-Investigator Juliet Carpenter (Brookes, Planning, Urban Regeneration and Community Engagement) developed BN into an important springboard for future research on deprived communities both in the UK and internationally. A Steering Committee was set up with the participation of leading scholars and practitioners Peter Coles (Goldsmiths, Photography), Mustafa Dikeç (Royal Holloway, Human Geography), Edward Welch (Durham, Modern Languages), Michel Kokoreff (Nancy, 2 Sociology), Bruno Levasseur (Roehampton, Cultural Studies), Marie-Madeleine Bertucci (Cergy, Linguistics) and Joerg Knieling (HU Hamburg, Urban Governance). Members of the Steering Committee committed themselves to link the new network to their respective disciplinary field as well as to other academics within their Research Centres which included CUCR (Goldsmiths), the City Centre (UCL), the Centre for Advanced Photography Studies (Durham), the Joint Centre for Urban Design (Brookes), the Centre for Urban Planning and Regional Development (HCU Hamburg), LASCOD (Cergy), Triangle (ENS Lyon), GURU (Newcastle), Urban Studies (Glasgow), CRAI (Strasbourg) and Urban Dialogues (Berlin).

By the end of the project's lifecycle, 125 members had joined the network. Members of the SC have deepened their collaboration and engaged in joint research and dissemination projects. An Advisory Board has been created to connect the network with further user communities and practitioners. This AB is composed of policy makers, artists and stake holders including Sylvie Badou (Deputy Mayor, Bondy), Medy Bigaderne (Deputy Mayor, Clichy-sous-Bois), Bally Bagayoko (Deputy Mayor, Saint-Denis), Jean-Cristophe Lagarde (Mayor, Drancy), Mohamed Mechmache (president of ACLEFEU, candidate for the European elections), Christian Soclet (chargé de mission at Conseil National des Villes), Sylvie Badou (City Council, Bondy), Jean-Manuel Simoes (Photographer), Jean-Marc Bombeau (President of the Association Goutte d'Or), Arnaud Levenes (Director of La Capsule, Le Bourget), John Perivolaris (Photographer), Mamadou Mahmoud N'Dongo (Writer and Deputy Mayor, Ddrancy) and Karim Amellal (Writer, President of the "Collectif qui fait la France") and Mark Gore (Director of Canal 93). Banlieue Network also forged lasting links with cultural institutions hosting some of its activites such as the Institut Français (London), la Ligne 13 (Saint-Denis), la Maison de Sciences de l'Homme Paris-Nord (Saint-Denis), l'Echomusée de la Goutte d'Or (Paris), the Glass Tank (Oxford), Radio 93 (Bobigny) and Radio Zolkin (Paris) as well as La Capsule (Le Bourget). The steering committee will continue to ensure a wide dissemination of the results of the network to policy makers and stakeholders across the EU by using European-wide networks of urban policy-makers and practitioners, such as Eurocities and URBACT.

BN dedicated special attention to young researchers who were given the opportunity to develop a wide range of professional and organisational skills. Bruno Levasseur (Roehampton), who recently completed his PhD addressing the French suburbs, was involved in the Network as a SC member and played a significant role in organising both conferences and the 2013 summer school. Other young researchers' participation was supported by a contribution to their travel and accommodation expenses when attending the two conferences. Several PhD students attended a number of our events. Dorothée Bertenhoff (Philipps-Universität Marburg), Elise Bouhet (SUNY, Albany), Serena Cello (Genova/Tours), Ravi Hensman (Manchester) Imke Momann (Universität Friedrich-Schiller, Jena/ Freie Universität Berlin) and Ruth Scales (Galway, Ireland) benefitted from BN's links to user communities and stakeholders, gained access to cutting edge research in the field of segregated communities, engaged in creative workshops and scholarly debates, presented papers, have been integrated into collective panel proposals and contributed to collectively authored publications.


2) New research methods developed
The network has been promoting innovative and transferable models to tackle urban segregation on a holistic basis. We have developed a unique model of "Co-Creation" (an arts-based method that is different from what is commonly called co-creation or co-production) which consists in engaging different urban actors (artists, scholars, policy makers, urban practitioners, local association activists and residents of disadvantaged communities) in a series of activities (walks, debates, creative workshops, events) resulting in the creation of collectively produced art work. This method helps members of segregated communities gain confidence in their skills, provides them with a safe environment in which their concerns, opinions and criticisms can be voiced and through which dialogue with various urban actors can take place.


3) Significant new knowledge generated
Data and materials produced by the network for the benefit of other researchers, such as paper presentations at conferences, interdisciplinary debates, and interviews with artists, have been stored on YouTube and made available through the network's website. Pod-casts including recordings of conferences, lectures and workshops and other community-based activities have been viewed 2537 times to date. These open access resources can be used for knowledge transfer as well as for teaching.


4) Important new research question opened up
The events organised by BN (two workshops, two conferences, a summer school and a touring exhibition) enabled the participants to exchange their research results and engage in collaboration along the following research questions:
a) How do political and media representations of the banlieue contribute to a stigmatising perception of segregated communities?
Suburban areas have been the scene of urban violence since the early 1980s but the riots which occurred in 2005, 2007 and 2010, reached an unprecedented scale. In the wake of these outbreaks, media accounts and social commentators highlighted the extent of the social divide in France between residents of disadvantaged urban peripheries and those of more affluent areas. Excluded and marginalised, suburban communities exist at the limits of French society, both literally and metaphorically. In mainstream society, the media-constructed image of the banlieues frequently provides the only insight into life in these underprivileged neighbourhoods. However, the prism of the media often tends to present a distorted image of reality. Focusing on issues of violence, immigration, integration, religion and identity, public discourses have contributed to the consolidation of negative clichés associated with the banlieues. BN investigated representations of disadvantaged suburban areas in various public discourses from a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspective, taking a novel approach to contemporary issues associated with banlieues by linking theoretical research with practical, hands-on approaches in order to provide insights into the mechanisms of social exclusion and spatial segregation. Research focused on external perceptions and representations of the banlieues in different media (film, photography, newspapers, television, political discourses); the interactions between the built environment and place perception; the role of the media in the recent riots; and the interaction between media images and the representation of the banlieues in various art forms.


b) How do self-representations of segregated communities question the negative clichés attached to the banlieue?
The second BN conference addressed the topic of self-representation in the banlieues and alternative discourses that challenge the clichés. The aim was to question negative clichés attached to the 'banlieue' by exploring it as a hub of creativity from where new voices, discourses and identities are emerging. The conference promoted inter- and multi-disciplinary approaches and a focus on representations produced by artists from suburban housing estates as well as urban collectives and other urban actors. Papers and discussions addressed, among others, the emergence of urban culture and its different forms, the representations and self-representations of communities, the individual or collective memory of suburban housing estates, images of diversity versus clichés and the real or perceived authenticity of the new "voice of the suburbs".

c) How to capture the banlieue's Unheard Voices?
In July 2013, the Summer School held in Saint-Denis (Greater Paris) investigated the themes of spaces, images, voices, identities and memory in the banlieue. Led by specialists of these subjects, the sessions explored a great variety of physical and imaginary spaces in the French urban periphery, including spaces dedicated to work, leisure and sociability. They addressed different types of visual representations of the suburbs produced and circulated by the media, the cinema and scholarly research. Participants discussed the role images have played in the evolution of the banlieue's 'visual economy'; focused on the 'voices' of the banlieue, investigating various forms of creative expression in literature and music and explored their emergence and perceived authenticity. The principal obstacles to the involvement of 'unheard voices' in decision making processes were discussed, as well as identity construction in a post-industrial, postcolonial and multicultural context in which cultural representations of peripheral areas greatly contribute to stimulate national debate opposing dominant and dissident discourses. Finally, the question of collective memory was examined through the inhabitants' affective attachment to symbolic and often stigmatised suburban places connected with the past, revealing specific modes of inhabiting, interpreting and consuming places as well processes of patrimonialisation.

Drawing on these interdisciplinary debates, SC members published their research findings in a special issue of the journal Francosphères, addressing the three most urgent contemporary challenges linked to the banlieue: i) The difficulty in capturing the banlieue's 'unheard voices' and making them audible in processes of political decision making, community engagement through participatory democracy, urban regeneration, as well as in literary, photographic and media representation; ii) the adoption of the appropriate form, genre and distance with one's lived experience that allow to defy the stereotypes to be defied without compromising one's street credibility and iii) the memory of French banlieue inhabitants have been recently explored by projects aiming to accompany residents through the changes and transformations of their neighbourhoods, enhance the memory and heritage of suburban areas, facilitate the participation of the population, reduce discrimination and contribute to social cohesion.

d) The Language of the banlieue
Language and culture have long played a central role in republican ideology and in the construction of the French state and national identity. By focusing on the ways in which the power of Language and Culture are used and abused by individuals, social groups and institutions, the panel presented by BN members at the annual ASMCF (September 2014 Southampton) interdisciplinary congress sought to understand their role in shaping identification, contesting order or transforming society. In addition to artistic and literary forms, the role of language and culture was examined in the construction of notions of citizenship, how it can unite or exclude on lines of religion, race, gender or class, its meanings for political parties, the state and communities. Delegates engaged with linguistic theory and how language and culture are conceptualised by both individuals and groups within contemporary French society from the ethnographic, literary and linguistic analysis of banlieues.

e) Collective Identities in segregated communities
Another research collaboration emerging from the BN project addresses the contribution made by suburban cultures in postcolonial France in establishing new collective identities which challenge dominant notions of Frenchness. In the wake of the severe urban riots which hit France in 2005, 2007 and 2010, France witnessed the emergence of alternative discourses which address issues of State city planning, spatial exclusion, social segregation and violence from the residents' point of view and establish a different perspective on networks, Diasporas, communities, spatial production, modernisation, national identity and belonging. Films, literary and personal narratives, diaries, private archives, and collectively produced testimonies insist on the lived experience of banlieue residents, their cultural practices, their memories and physical and affective appropriations of the urban space. How do these publications address belonging, affective involvement, memory, and participation? How do they participate in forging new collective identities? What linguistic, narrative, visual and political strategies do they use to subvert hegemonic dominant discourses? How are they received and interpreted in relation to the official discourses produced by politicians and the mass media? A forthcoming panel at the 2015 SFS conference in Cardiff will look at spatial developments in the banlieue, framed in terms of a historical perspective, and will explore how the subsequent cultural production becomes vector of a reflection on nationhood in contemporary France.

f) European urban policy.
Core members of BN are currently fostering an international research group bringing together experts across Europe to explore the pressing of European Urban Policy (currently under consultation). The aim of this policy-relevant research collaboration is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas around three main research questions:
i) How to establish a European model of urban development?
ii) How can cities contribute to the Europe 2020 agenda?
iii) How to increase the city's creative potential and harness creativity in deprived neighbourhoods in particular?
These three topics will provide a rich source of research material to inform policy-makers in their debates about the future of Europe's cities while at the same time strengthening cross-disciplinary research and making a valuable contribution to crucial questions around urban sustainable development and the creation of the Just City in Europe.


5) Increased research capability generated from training
Christina Horvath (PI) and Juliet Carpenter (Co-I), increased their research capability over the lifecycle of the project by broadening their organisational track record, gaining experience in research management and administration and engaging in new partnerships and bilateral and multilateral collaborations. Managing Banlieue Network provided them with ownership for developing community engagement via outreach events and collective publications. They have been involved in setting international research agendas, managing resources, forging partnerships, and running stakeholder consultation. They learnt how to initiate, lead and manage successful projects and programs of work and establish and maintain productive and professional working relationships with people and colleagues at all levels, both internally and externally to their organisation. Collaboration with policy makers, stakeholders, artists, practitioners and leading experts drawn from various disciplines who represent institutions with existing strengths in the exploration of segregated communities broadened their existing contacts, outreach and impact. Other members, in particular young researchers also benefited from training provided by BN to improve their skills (see under 1)).
Exploitation Route 1) Members of the SC will consolidate their research links by engaging in closer collaboration along the research questions defined at the closing workshop and by presenting their outcomes together at conference panels;
2) Members of the SC will submit joint funding applications to the AHRC, UACES, ESF and their respective institutions to make the network sustainable and to start new partnerships at national and European levels;
3) Members of BN will engage in closer collaboration with policy makers and resident associations in which research will be tailored to the needs to user communities and research will be undertaken on demand and will be adapted to specific requests following consultation with users;
4) The method of Co-Creation which emerged from the BN project as an efficient tool for strengthening the links between academic research, policies and user communities has been tested in new contexts in Europe (Gremany, Belgium, France, the UK) and Latin-America (Brazil, Mexico). Results have been disseminated via a series of public engagement events and a collective book edited by the PI and Co-I in order to impact positively on the life of user communities;
5) Members of BN will foster further collaboration at European level with the aim of contributing to laying the foundations of a common European Urban Policy which will further creativity, fight stigmatisation and make cities more sustainable and inclusive.
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Education,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Other
URL http://www.banlieuenetwork.org/
 
Description NARRATIVE IMPACT Banlieue Network focuses on deprived suburbs in contemporary France known as 'banlieues'. In recent years, this term has become synonymous with pockets of exclusion on the peripheries of most major cities. Built in the 1950s and 1960s to address the housing shortage, banlieues suffer from insufficient social services and high unemployment and delinquency rates. Suburbs in the Greater Paris area have been the scene of urban violence since the early 1980s but the riots which occurred in 2005, 2007 and 2010, reached an unprecedented scale. In the wake of these outbreaks, media accounts and social commentators highlighted the extent of the social divide in France between residents of segregated urban peripheries and those of more affluent areas. The French case is particularly important for an exploration of the complex relationship between space, community, identity and politics. Unlike in Britain or the United States where communities have been the main objects of urban policies, affirmative action in France focuses mainly on urban areas. Since the early 1980s, state interventions have paradoxically contributed to the consolidation of negative clichés associated with 'banlieues'. At a time when segregated communities constitute an unprecedented challenge for urban societies, Banlieue Network takes a novel approach to these issues. It aligns theoretical research with practical, hands-on approaches in order to learn from the shortcomings of previous urban policies and provide insights into the mechanisms of social exclusion and spatial segregation, by confronting various types of official and alternative discourses in which French 'banlieues' are represented. The main aim of this project was to address urban stigmatisation by using cross-disciplinary and multi-user approach and bringing together academics, policy makers and user communities. From September 2012 till September 2014, we established and consolidated Banlieue Network, an outward-facing network seeking to change social perceptions of segregated urban communities in France and influence urban policy at both national and European levels. Over the 24 months of the project, Banlieue Network acted as a catalyst for developing ideas and strengthening cross-sectoral working relationships between academics, artists, policy makers, urban practitioners and local associations. Connecting 125 members internationally, Banlieue Network serves today as an innovative nexus linking international academics and policy makers to the grassroots community groups and individuals which are its focus. Banlieue Network's impact embraces four essential ways in which research-related knowledge and skills benefit individuals and communities living in disadvantaged peripheral neighbourhoods: 1) The Network has been working closely with policy makers and local associations and contributed directly to knowledge transfer, share of best practice and increasing the effectiveness of urban policies at local, national and European levels; 2) It has enhanced quality of life in five communities in the Greater Paris area through outreach events, urban walks, workshops and public debates organised in collaboration with local Councils, associations and artists; 3) It has facilitated the production and dissemination of creative outputs in the form of a collective art book and touring exhibition which has been showcased widely in Oxford, Paris, Lyon and shortly in Cergy-Pontoise. 4) Through publications and outreach events, it has promoted new ways of thinking about suburban communities and thereby contributed to their destigmatisation. BN has ensured societal and cultural impact in some of the most deprived neighbourhoods of Greater Paris (Saint-Denis, Drancy, La Courneuve, Bobigny and Bondy) through the delivery of a comprehensive series of events including an exploratory workshop, a summer school, two interdisciplinary conferences and regular meetings of the steering committee. BN has produced a range of publicly accessible outputs including a touring exhibition, a collective bilingual art book, a collective scholarly book and internet resources composed by 80 podcasts. Events and outputs have been publicised and disseminated in collaboration with municipalities (City Councils in Bondy, Drancy and Saint-Denis), local associations (Bondy Blog, Echomusée de la Goutte, ACLEFEU) in the user communities in the Greater Paris area with of the network has established sustainable links. 5) Influencing urban policies The cross-sectoral nature of the network has generated unique benefits for its members and potentially wider society by contributing to advances in knowledge and generating innovative, productive interactions with policy makers and urban practitioners. We established links with policy makers at municipal level (mayors and deputy mayors in Bondy, Drancy, Saint-Denis and Clichy-sous-Bois such as Sylvie Badou, Medy Bigaderne, Bally Bagayoko and Jean-Cristophe Lagarde), at national and European level (with Mohamed Mechmache, president of ACLEFEU, candidate for the European elections, Christian Soclet, chargé de mission at Conseil National des Villes). These audiences have benefited from the exchange of ideas with the international research community by exploring how to best utilise resources, knowledge and expertise to support segregated communities. The involvement of policy makers has the potential to impact directly on the quality of life in suburban areas by providing them with conceptual and applied knowledge to inform policy development and implementation. 6) Enhance the quality of life in user communities Segregated communities in France, Britain and elsewhere in Europe, have benefited from the international knowledge exchange and shared best practice facilitated by the network, through a comparative approach. By creating a forum for discussion and the exchange of ideas between scholars, urban practitioners, community members and policy makers, the network has promoted innovative and transferable models to tackle urban segregation on a holistic basis. We have developed a unique model of "co-creation" which consists in engaging different urban actors (artists, scholars, policy makers, urban practitioners, local association activists and residents of disadvantaged communities) in a series of activities (walks, debates, creative workshops, events) resulting in the creation of collectively produced art work. This model help members of segregated communities gain confidence and establish a safe environment in which the members' concerns can be voiced and dialogue with various urban actors can take place. As a next step, Banlieue Network will promote this model through publications, workshops and further funding applications. 7) Changing the life of user communities by the co-production and dissemination of creative outputs The immediate 'user' beneficiaries were groups of children and young adults living in disadvantaged urban communities in Bondy, Drancy and Saint-Denis. 4 groups of 15 young residents took part in workshops as part of the Summer School (8-12 July 2013) and had the opportunity to express their experiences through a variety of creative media (drawing, scrap-booking, acting, creative writing and photography) in collaboration with scholars and artists. This work has been showcased (or will be shortly) in France (Paris 18, Cergy-Pontoise, Lyon, Bordeaux), Britain (Oxford, Aberdeen) and other European countries (Germany, Italy) through an exhibition and a bilingual non-academic book communicating the 'banlieue' experience beyond its locality and providing a resource to challenge negative stereotypes. Societal and cultural impact has been achieved at individual and community levels through increased creative skills, confidence and exchanging ideas. Community cohesion has been achieved through active participation and pride in individual and collective achievements. Establishing a dialogue with researchers has helped residents gain insights to mechanisms of urban segregation and equip them to address economic and social exclusionary practices. Audiences for the book and exhibition have benefited from greater understanding of issues of urban segregation and everyday life in disadvantaged communities. This has been recorded and measured using questionnaires completed by visitors at the book launch events (4th April 2014 in Oxford and 5th July 2014 in Paris). Venues hosting the exhibition (The Glass Tank Gallery in Oxford 3rd April-1st May 2014 and the Echomusée de la Goutte d'Or in Paris 3rd-15th July 2014) benefited or will benefit (Lyon, December 2014- February 2015; Cergy-Pontoise, September 2015, Visual Centre Aberdeen December 2014, Gallery of Hafen University Hamburg, 2016) from this addition to their programme and, potentially, new audiences. 8) Promoting new ways of thinking about suburban communities and thereby contributed to their destigmatisation. The ten artists (photographers, writers, graphic artist, stage director and social sculptor) collaborating in the workshops benefitted by developing their skills and practise through immersion in the cutting-edge creative energy generated by the cross-cultural influences of the 'banlieue'. Being associated with the project has enhanced their international profile and extended their own creative and professional networks. They gained personal experience of urban segregation which deepened their understanding of the issues at stake and furthered their involvement in the fight against stigmatising stereotypes. Acknowledging the role of creative practise as part of a multi-faceted research methodology has provided a blueprint for developing similar work in future. The international research community has benefited from this project by fostering collaboration with a wide range of international partners across disciplinary boundaries inside and outside academia. Participants have benefited from international mobility (attending BN conferences, workshops and summer schools in London, Oxford and Paris) to develop various outreach activities aligning theoretical research with practical, hands-on approaches with the highest priority community needs. The network was an important opportunity for international scholars to advance knowledge in the field of community-based action research, develop innovative research and dissemination methods and involve young researchers in the design and delivery of innovative programs such as the planned workshops, conferences and summer school. The network contributed to develop alternative future visions and pathways for sustainable communities, and so challenging social exclusion and deprivation in urban neighbourhoods. In January 2017, the grant holders were awarded £500 000 to test and develop further the co-creation methodology which has first been conceptualised in 2013 during the Banlieue Network Summer School. Therefore this new project can be considered as an outcome of the 2012-2014 AHRC-funded project. However, this new project involves new partners and proposes a comparative approach that looks at new countries as case study locations.
Sector Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Education,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections
Impact Types Cultural,Societal
 
Description THE COHESIVE CITY: ADDRESSING STIGMATISATION IN DISADVANTAGED URBAN NEIGHBOURHOODS (CO-CREATION)
Amount € 558,000 (EUR)
Funding ID Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 734770 
Organisation European Commission 
Department Horizon 2020
Sector Public
Country European Union (EU)
Start 01/2017 
End 12/2020
 
Title Co-Creation Method 
Description The method consists in bringing together various urban actors from segregated communities and use artist-led creative activities to address urban issues and create synargies between stakeholders and researchers. The method emerged during the 2013 summer school organised in Greater Paris. In 2015 and 2016, we applied to various funding bodies such as the British Academy, Leverhulme Trust and the European Commission for further funding to investigate this methodological tool further. We secured a RISE Horizon 2020 grant led by Dr Juliet Carpenter as principal investigator which will run from January 2017 till December 2020 and will involve researchers and NGOs from the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Mexico and Brazil. The project 'Co-creation' will allow us to undertake literature review, develop the methodology, test it during two pilote case studies, and then roll it out and test it in 6 case study cities. Outputs will include policty briefings and recommendations for policy makers. 
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure 
Year Produced 2013 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact This research tool allowed us during the summer school organised in July 2013 to create a strong bond between researchers, residents, urban actors, artists and young researchers. Co-creation allowed us to achieve good working relations within a few days only and advanced our knowledge exchange considerably. We felt that this innovative method was one of the most important discovery of our Summer School program and it would be worth exploring further its potential in creating links between researchers and community members as well as for improving communication between community members and other urban actors. We intend to apply for further funding to develop this tool further and explore its use in various contexts. 
URL http://www.co-creation-network.org
 
Title Banlieue Network On-Line Resourcs 
Description banlieuenetwork.org is a website which has been created for the project Banlieue Network by independent developer Chris Jennings. Since its creation, the website has been used to convey information about the project, connect BN with its members as well as wider audiences and advertise its events and publications. The website's two other key functions are the online gallery showcasing artwork produced during the Summer School in July 2013 and the online resources which is a database featuring 80 video recordings produced during the network's two conferences, two exhibitions and the summer school. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2012 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact To date (January 2015), the online resources have been viewed 2099 times. They are currently being used at Oxford Brookes University and various secondary schools and higher education institution in France and the UK as teaching material. The most popular podcasts have been viewed over 100 times. 
URL http://www.banlieuenetwork.org
 
Description CO-CREATION: a partnership to test the methodology of co-creation 
Organisation Alternatives Europeennes
Country France 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution We initiated a partnership with researchers in Brazil, the UK (Bath and Oxford), Spain and Mexico and practitioners and NGOs from Paris, Bruxelles and Berlin in order to explore the concept and methodology of co-creation, emerging from our AHRC-funded project on the French banlieue. We submitted and application for external funding to RISE - Horizon 2020
Collaborator Contribution Partners committed themselves to producing case studies, coordinating their research and producing policy briefings. The funding application has been successful and the collaboration started in January 2017.
Impact External funding from the European Commission ( Rise Horizon 2020 scheme)
Start Year 2017
 
Description CO-CREATION: a partnership to test the methodology of co-creation 
Organisation City Mine(D) Asbl
Country Belgium 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution We initiated a partnership with researchers in Brazil, the UK (Bath and Oxford), Spain and Mexico and practitioners and NGOs from Paris, Bruxelles and Berlin in order to explore the concept and methodology of co-creation, emerging from our AHRC-funded project on the French banlieue. We submitted and application for external funding to RISE - Horizon 2020
Collaborator Contribution Partners committed themselves to producing case studies, coordinating their research and producing policy briefings. The funding application has been successful and the collaboration started in January 2017.
Impact External funding from the European Commission ( Rise Horizon 2020 scheme)
Start Year 2017
 
Description CO-CREATION: a partnership to test the methodology of co-creation 
Organisation Heriot-Watt University
Department School of the Built Environment
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We initiated a partnership with researchers in Brazil, the UK (Bath and Oxford), Spain and Mexico and practitioners and NGOs from Paris, Bruxelles and Berlin in order to explore the concept and methodology of co-creation, emerging from our AHRC-funded project on the French banlieue. We submitted and application for external funding to RISE - Horizon 2020
Collaborator Contribution Partners committed themselves to producing case studies, coordinating their research and producing policy briefings. The funding application has been successful and the collaboration started in January 2017.
Impact External funding from the European Commission ( Rise Horizon 2020 scheme)
Start Year 2017
 
Description CO-CREATION: a partnership to test the methodology of co-creation 
Organisation National Autonomous University of Mexico
Department Faculty of Political and Social Sciences (FCPyS)
Country Mexico 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We initiated a partnership with researchers in Brazil, the UK (Bath and Oxford), Spain and Mexico and practitioners and NGOs from Paris, Bruxelles and Berlin in order to explore the concept and methodology of co-creation, emerging from our AHRC-funded project on the French banlieue. We submitted and application for external funding to RISE - Horizon 2020
Collaborator Contribution Partners committed themselves to producing case studies, coordinating their research and producing policy briefings. The funding application has been successful and the collaboration started in January 2017.
Impact External funding from the European Commission ( Rise Horizon 2020 scheme)
Start Year 2017
 
Description CO-CREATION: a partnership to test the methodology of co-creation 
Organisation POLIS
Country Belgium 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution We initiated a partnership with researchers in Brazil, the UK (Bath and Oxford), Spain and Mexico and practitioners and NGOs from Paris, Bruxelles and Berlin in order to explore the concept and methodology of co-creation, emerging from our AHRC-funded project on the French banlieue. We submitted and application for external funding to RISE - Horizon 2020
Collaborator Contribution Partners committed themselves to producing case studies, coordinating their research and producing policy briefings. The funding application has been successful and the collaboration started in January 2017.
Impact External funding from the European Commission ( Rise Horizon 2020 scheme)
Start Year 2017
 
Description CO-CREATION: a partnership to test the methodology of co-creation 
Organisation Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
Department Department of History and Geography
Country Brazil 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We initiated a partnership with researchers in Brazil, the UK (Bath and Oxford), Spain and Mexico and practitioners and NGOs from Paris, Bruxelles and Berlin in order to explore the concept and methodology of co-creation, emerging from our AHRC-funded project on the French banlieue. We submitted and application for external funding to RISE - Horizon 2020
Collaborator Contribution Partners committed themselves to producing case studies, coordinating their research and producing policy briefings. The funding application has been successful and the collaboration started in January 2017.
Impact External funding from the European Commission ( Rise Horizon 2020 scheme)
Start Year 2017
 
Description CO-CREATION: a partnership to test the methodology of co-creation 
Organisation Tesserae
Country Germany 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution We initiated a partnership with researchers in Brazil, the UK (Bath and Oxford), Spain and Mexico and practitioners and NGOs from Paris, Bruxelles and Berlin in order to explore the concept and methodology of co-creation, emerging from our AHRC-funded project on the French banlieue. We submitted and application for external funding to RISE - Horizon 2020
Collaborator Contribution Partners committed themselves to producing case studies, coordinating their research and producing policy briefings. The funding application has been successful and the collaboration started in January 2017.
Impact External funding from the European Commission ( Rise Horizon 2020 scheme)
Start Year 2017
 
Description Research Collaboration 
Organisation Cergy-Pontoise University
Country France 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution 4 founding members of Banlieue Network prolongated their research collaboration be aligning their research on "Collective Identities and representations in the French Banlieue" and presenting a panel together under the lead of Dr Christina Horvath (Oxford Brookes University). The panel included 4 papers presented by Dr Christina Horvath (Oxford Brookes University), Professor Marie-Madeleine Bertucci (Cergy-Pontoise), Dr Bruno Levasseur (Roehampton) and Professor Edward Welch (Durham) at the Society for French Studies 56th Annual Conference at University of Cardiff 29 June - 1 July 2015
Collaborator Contribution Partners aligned their research around the theme "Collective Identities and representations in the French Banlieue" and presented a panel together. It was a way to stay connected and do collaborative research and share the outputs of these with the academic community in the field of French studies.
Impact Outputs of the collaboration include 4 research papers and one panel discussion.
Start Year 2012
 
Description Research Collaboration 
Organisation Durham University
Department Department of French
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution 4 founding members of Banlieue Network prolongated their research collaboration be aligning their research on "Collective Identities and representations in the French Banlieue" and presenting a panel together under the lead of Dr Christina Horvath (Oxford Brookes University). The panel included 4 papers presented by Dr Christina Horvath (Oxford Brookes University), Professor Marie-Madeleine Bertucci (Cergy-Pontoise), Dr Bruno Levasseur (Roehampton) and Professor Edward Welch (Durham) at the Society for French Studies 56th Annual Conference at University of Cardiff 29 June - 1 July 2015
Collaborator Contribution Partners aligned their research around the theme "Collective Identities and representations in the French Banlieue" and presented a panel together. It was a way to stay connected and do collaborative research and share the outputs of these with the academic community in the field of French studies.
Impact Outputs of the collaboration include 4 research papers and one panel discussion.
Start Year 2012
 
Description Research Collaboration 
Organisation Oxford Brookes University
Department Modern Languages
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution 4 founding members of Banlieue Network prolongated their research collaboration be aligning their research on "Collective Identities and representations in the French Banlieue" and presenting a panel together under the lead of Dr Christina Horvath (Oxford Brookes University). The panel included 4 papers presented by Dr Christina Horvath (Oxford Brookes University), Professor Marie-Madeleine Bertucci (Cergy-Pontoise), Dr Bruno Levasseur (Roehampton) and Professor Edward Welch (Durham) at the Society for French Studies 56th Annual Conference at University of Cardiff 29 June - 1 July 2015
Collaborator Contribution Partners aligned their research around the theme "Collective Identities and representations in the French Banlieue" and presented a panel together. It was a way to stay connected and do collaborative research and share the outputs of these with the academic community in the field of French studies.
Impact Outputs of the collaboration include 4 research papers and one panel discussion.
Start Year 2012
 
Description Research Collaboration 
Organisation Roehampton University
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution 4 founding members of Banlieue Network prolongated their research collaboration be aligning their research on "Collective Identities and representations in the French Banlieue" and presenting a panel together under the lead of Dr Christina Horvath (Oxford Brookes University). The panel included 4 papers presented by Dr Christina Horvath (Oxford Brookes University), Professor Marie-Madeleine Bertucci (Cergy-Pontoise), Dr Bruno Levasseur (Roehampton) and Professor Edward Welch (Durham) at the Society for French Studies 56th Annual Conference at University of Cardiff 29 June - 1 July 2015
Collaborator Contribution Partners aligned their research around the theme "Collective Identities and representations in the French Banlieue" and presented a panel together. It was a way to stay connected and do collaborative research and share the outputs of these with the academic community in the field of French studies.
Impact Outputs of the collaboration include 4 research papers and one panel discussion.
Start Year 2012
 
Description Research Collaboration and panel presentation SFS Conference in Glasgow 2016 
Organisation Allegheny College
Country United States 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution The members of the collaboration aligned their research to work together on "Collective Identities and representations in the French Banlieue" and present a panel with individual conference papers and a debate session at the Society for French Studies 57th Annual Conference University of Glasgow in 27-29 June 2016.
Collaborator Contribution The pnale presented by Christina Horvath brings together researchers Serena Cello, Isabelle Galichon, Wajih Guehria Bettina Ghio, Laura Reeck and Solène Gaudin who will explore respectively banlieue narratives and expressions of community identities.
Impact The outputs will include conference paoers, panel discussion and a special issue of the Journal of Romance Studies edited by Christina Horvath
Start Year 2015
 
Description Research Collaboration and panel presentation SFS Conference in Glasgow 2016 
Organisation New Sorbonne University
Country France 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution The members of the collaboration aligned their research to work together on "Collective Identities and representations in the French Banlieue" and present a panel with individual conference papers and a debate session at the Society for French Studies 57th Annual Conference University of Glasgow in 27-29 June 2016.
Collaborator Contribution The pnale presented by Christina Horvath brings together researchers Serena Cello, Isabelle Galichon, Wajih Guehria Bettina Ghio, Laura Reeck and Solène Gaudin who will explore respectively banlieue narratives and expressions of community identities.
Impact The outputs will include conference paoers, panel discussion and a special issue of the Journal of Romance Studies edited by Christina Horvath
Start Year 2015
 
Description Research Collaboration and panel presentation SFS Conference in Glasgow 2016 
Organisation POLIS
Country Belgium 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution The members of the collaboration aligned their research to work together on "Collective Identities and representations in the French Banlieue" and present a panel with individual conference papers and a debate session at the Society for French Studies 57th Annual Conference University of Glasgow in 27-29 June 2016.
Collaborator Contribution The pnale presented by Christina Horvath brings together researchers Serena Cello, Isabelle Galichon, Wajih Guehria Bettina Ghio, Laura Reeck and Solène Gaudin who will explore respectively banlieue narratives and expressions of community identities.
Impact The outputs will include conference paoers, panel discussion and a special issue of the Journal of Romance Studies edited by Christina Horvath
Start Year 2015
 
Description Research Collaboration and panel presentation SFS Conference in Glasgow 2016 
Organisation University of Bordeaux
Department French Studies
Country France 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution The members of the collaboration aligned their research to work together on "Collective Identities and representations in the French Banlieue" and present a panel with individual conference papers and a debate session at the Society for French Studies 57th Annual Conference University of Glasgow in 27-29 June 2016.
Collaborator Contribution The pnale presented by Christina Horvath brings together researchers Serena Cello, Isabelle Galichon, Wajih Guehria Bettina Ghio, Laura Reeck and Solène Gaudin who will explore respectively banlieue narratives and expressions of community identities.
Impact The outputs will include conference paoers, panel discussion and a special issue of the Journal of Romance Studies edited by Christina Horvath
Start Year 2015
 
Description Research Collaboration and panel presentation SFS Conference in Glasgow 2016 
Organisation University of Bordeaux
Department French Studies
Country France 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution The members of the collaboration aligned their research to work together on "Collective Identities and representations in the French Banlieue" and present a panel with individual conference papers and a debate session at the Society for French Studies 57th Annual Conference University of Glasgow in 27-29 June 2016.
Collaborator Contribution The pnale presented by Christina Horvath brings together researchers Serena Cello, Isabelle Galichon, Wajih Guehria Bettina Ghio, Laura Reeck and Solène Gaudin who will explore respectively banlieue narratives and expressions of community identities.
Impact The outputs will include conference paoers, panel discussion and a special issue of the Journal of Romance Studies edited by Christina Horvath
Start Year 2015
 
Description Espace, femmes et sexualité dans le récit de banlieue contemporain 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact C Horvath was invited by organisers of the one-day conference GENRE ET URBANITÉS -
Usages et aménagements de la ville au prisme des rapports hommes/femmes at the Maison/des/Sciences/de/l'Homme/Paris/Nord in Greater Paris, France to talk about her research on << Espace, femmes et sexualité dans le récit de banlieue
contemporain >>. The talk was attended by international, interdisciplinary audiences.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description Exhibition Banlieue-Goutte d'Or: Regards croisés 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? Yes
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact The academic workshop 'Urban connections' led to discussions with scholars, artists, policy makers, students and urban practitioners on community involvement and the participation of policy makers and artists in academic research and allowed to plan further collaboration and future funding application.
The urban walks and encounters with artists triggered massive interest outside academia: the exhibition and the event attracted about 500 visitors in 14 days and informed large audiences outside academia about the issues of urban segregation, vulnerable neighbourhoods and current art projects aiming to improve quality of life in communities in Greater Paris.
About 80 young people participated in the two creative writing events and the live graffiti event and about 100 people attended the walks to find out more about segregated neighbourhoods.



After participating in the series of events:
- three universities decided to showcase the touring exhibition 'Voices and Images from the Banlieue' which will continue to tour in Lyon, Bordeaux and Cergy-Pontoise, connecting Banlieue Network with new audiences
- artists Sophie Tonneau (theatre), Karim Amellal (writing) and Jean-Manuel Simoes (photography) decided to deepen their collaboration with Banlieue Network and co-design a series of creative workshops aimed at young people in segregated areas of the Seine-Saint-Denis district.
- Several policy makers and local associations registered on the Banlieue Network mailing list to stay in contact and get involved in future creative projects to fight negative stereotypes about vulnerable neighbourhoods.
- We collected about 200 questionnaires from people who attended the events and gave us positive feedback about how much these contributed to their understanding of issues of urban segregation.
- all events were recorded and 10 recordings of debates were published on the Banlieue Network YouTube channel. Links were added to our resources for teaching and informing general audiences on the Banlieue Network website.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2014
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFQmoP7WkcI
 
Description Exploring the Banlieue Summer School 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? Yes
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact 1) 60 children from segregated communities attended creative workshops with artists and academics
2) 30 academics, 20 practitioners and policy makers and 10 artists engaged in 5 interdisciplinary debate sessions on 5 predefined research topics
3) 5 public events brought together banlieue residents with researchers and practitioners: a debate on rap music followed by a rap evening; a film screening followed by discussion on women in segregated communities; a debate on youth and media; a debate with two writers who explore the banlieue in their work and a theater event followed by discussion with local politicians and associations.
4) 30 academics participated in urban walks and workshops of creative writing, photography and drawing led by 5 artists.
5) These events took place in 5 towns in Greater Paris over 5 days, some of them running in parallel
6) Creative outcomes have been published in a bilingual art book and were showcased via a touring exhibition in 2014,
7) Academic outputs (7 research articles by BN members) were published in a special issue of peer-reviewed journal Francosphères.
8) Events were filmed and podcasts are available in open access, promoting social justice to wider audiences.

1) Residents from disadvantaged communities gained skills, confidence and engaged in collaboration with scholars, practitioners and community leaders;
2) Knowledge transfer took place between policy makers and scholars with potential impact on local policies;.
3) 10 international artists engaged in collaboration with scholars, policy makers and residents and found larger audiences.
4) 15 PhD students and young researchers from 10 countries gained first-hand experience in working with disadvantaged communities.
5) A real knowledge exchange took place, contributing to desegregation of peripheral communities.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2013
URL http://www.banlieuenetwork.org/events/details/exploring-the-banlieue-summer-school
 
Description Flâneuses de banlieue - à Paris et à Londres Christina Horvath Professeur de lettres 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This 1-day event was organised on 21st February 2014 by CERTOP (Centre d'Etude et de Recherche Travail Organisation Pouvoir) & le CAS (Poéthiques) at Université Toulouse le Mirail. C Horvath was invited by the organisers to talk about her research on women in the French suburban space. The aevent was attended by 50-100 people, partly policy makers and practitioners, partly academics and general audience, from a number of European countries.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2014
 
Description Lecture by Dr Juliet Carpenter "The City, People and Diversity" -"The French 'Banlieues': From Cauldron to Creativity?" 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact 30 students attended the lecture followed by a debate on social problems and creativity in the French banlieue. The lecture took place in Oxford, at Oxford Brookes university
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015,2016
 
Description PoLIS' seminar: Banlieue narratives, suburban youths & terrorist attacks in France - talk on 19th November 2015 at PoLIS research seminar, Bath 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact About 80 people attended the talk by Dr C Horvath at University of Bath, at the PoLIS Research Seminar. The talk was followed by a debate with the audience on the link between banlieues and terrorism.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
 
Description Postcolonial Space in a Global Network: Trans-National Connections in the French Banlieue 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Dr C Horvath was invitred to give a talk on her research on Trans-National Connections in the French Banlieue. The event organised by the University of Toronto, the Trans 26th annual conference of the Centre for Comparative Literature on 4-5-March 2016 was attended by a general international udience of about 50 people.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description Round table debate (Paris, Wallonie Bruxelles Centre) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact I was invited to a public debate at the launch of a book to which I contributed. The debate included researchers, journalists and policy makers. The audience was a general audience between 50 and 100.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL http://www.cnrseditions.fr/actualites/86-rencontre-debat-autour-de-banlieues-vues-d-ailleurs
 
Description Voices and Images from the Banlieue: Towards co-creation of knowledge 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact This talk by C Horvath and J Carpenter promotes outputs of their research and the Banlieue Network project and discusses the new methodology arising from their Banlieue Network project.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016