As a multi-generational participative project, The Epic has forever preserved the heritage of the "Chemin de l’Ile", a large social housing district of Nanterre, where multi-cultural generations have been living since the 70s. Through the life stories of the elders, recorded by the young ones, it has captured the unique identity of a diverse neighbourhood that is about to experience a profound transformation through an extensive urban renewal programme. A remarkable community building model !
Local
France
Nanterre, Ile de France
Mainly urban
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
2022-11-19
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): LogiRep - Groupe Polylogis Type of organisation: For-profit company First name of representative: Agnès Last name of representative: Hugot Gender: Female Nationality: France Function: Deputy CEO Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: 127 rue Gambetta Town: Suresnes Postal code: 92150 Country: France Direct Tel:+33 1 40 99 46 49 E-mail:hugot.a@polylogis.fr Website:https://www.polylogis.immo/
In 2021, social housing provider LogiRep commissioned The Epopée association to record the life stories of elderly residents living in the “Chemin de l’Ile”, one of its impoverished estates in Nanterre, a Paris suburban city. This district is home to 5,000 residents, primarily living in social housing. Originally developed in the 70s, it is currently undergoing major structural changes as part of an extensive urban regeneration programme.
The massive works that will span over a decade will bring profound changes to the lives of the residents. Although the programme is long-awaited and welcome by the local residents, it is also unsettling for many, particularly the eldest ones. Seeking to improve its acceptability by fostering a sense of belonging and pride whilst bringing together younger and older generations, LogiRep opted to preserve the heritage of this neighbourhood.
The project took over a year to materialise. LogiRep invited the other two social housing providers of the area and the City of Nanterre to join. Throughout 2022, the Epopée team spent time onsite, working closely with the city’s departments, local schools and tenant associations, facility management teams and residents to capture the life stories of eight elderly residents. Workshops and community activities were held onsite with local schools and associations, uniting younger and older generations around a common project. Local students contributed by documenting the history of the area with the Nanterre Heritage Association.
The result is a book titled “The Epic” which was launched on 19 November 2022, alongside a related exhibition, in a festive community event with all parties involved. The exhibition is also to be displayed at the local public library and schools.
The book was gifted to each local resident through door-to-door sessions hence strengthening the quality of the housing companies’ relationship with their tenants.
Heritage
Educational
Inter-generational
Community
Social bonding
The Chemin de l’Ile district is a socio-economically deprived area faced with a high level of unemployment, poverty, poor access to health care services as well as crime and safety issues. Following a series of pandemic-related lockdowns, many residents suffer from greater isolation, especially as younger and older generations had fewer opportunities to interact through local community activities. In the context of the district’s renewal programme, this project aims at uniting local residents around a common goal: the preservation of the neighbourhood’s history viewed through the life stories of elders compiled by younger generations. Essentially The Epic is about bringing people together, strengthening social interactions and fostering better mutual understanding between generations sharing the same neighbourhood.
The Chemin de l’Ile district is about to experience a series of profound transformations, including the demolition of two residential towers, extensive refurbishment programmes of the existing housing estates and the redevelopment of the public and private spaces. For the elders, who have been living there for almost five decades, it means that all their familiar environment and what has been the identity of the place will be deeply changed. What will remain are their memories. Today, with The Epic, these memories are preserved and shared. However, this project is not just about recording the tales of elders. It is about bringing together people of several generations and cultural backgrounds around a common heritage.
The students of the local schools participated actively in the creation of The Epic which took almost a year to complete through social activities, interviews and workshops. The multi-talented efforts bore valuable fruits and became a reality on 19 November through a festive communal event to celebrate The Epic’s publication alongside a historical exhibition, mindfully curated by the many participants over a period of six months.
The primary goal of the project was to bring together the local people of all ages and celebrate the history of the Chemin de l’Ile neighbourhood. The Epic, a 186-page book which is the project’s tangible output, features the eight life stories of the selected elderly residents, featured in the book as « heroes ». Their respective life stories span over five decades, which makes for a unique long-lasting legacy for younger generations. The Epic will forever keep alive the memories of this unique place, seen through the eyes of these elderly ordinary « heroes ».
To complement the book, the Epopée team and its partners organised an exhibition that was hosted at the local community centre and curated in partnership with the students of the local schools and the residents. A local choir of talented elderly residents sang at the book launch event and students read aloud excerpts of the life stories from the book. The festive community event, which was attended by an estimated 150 local residents, the social housing companies' teams and local councillors, proved a success in rebuilding social bonding.
The Epic project undoubtedly reached its goal in uniting generations around the place that they all call « home », ahead of its extensive transformation. It strengthened their sense of belonging to a multi-cultural inter-generational community, especially as older generations had the opportunity to share their experiences with younger ones. This project also contributed to changing the younger generations' perception of old age, where old age is once again valued for its wisdom and experience.
The Epic project is more than a book and an exhibition. It is about connecting generations and people from diverse cultural backgrounds around a common goal. The five-decade old social housing estate becomes itself the centre stage of The Epic project. Eight elderly « heroes » shared their memories and voices to narrate its story of inclusiveness. Through The Epic, the Chemin de l'Ile neighbourhood becomes alive for the 5,000 residents of all ages and backgrounds to deeply connect with their « home » and with one another. In The Epic as in Nanterre, everyone is welcome. As Julie happily said: « In Nanterre, we meet the origins of the world » and Nanterre is proud to be a place that « rhymes with diversity » as the city has historically been welcoming immigrants and people from multi-cultural backgrounds.
To complement the book, the exhibition showcased the local community throughout a period of over five decades. It featured the collective work of many local participants of diverse backgrounds and ages, who participated on a volunteering basis. It took six months to prepare and the book launch event allowed local residents to showcase their talents and connect through in-person interactions. This event was particularly welcome by the residents after several years of pandemic-related lockdowns.
All local residents were encouraged to participate in the project’s proposed activities. Extensive communication campaigns were rolled out by the social housing companies as well as the local council to promote the project. The Epopée association team also worked very closely with tenant associations and existing local partners (parents’ associations, elderly associations, local schools and local community centres) to encourage residents to participate.
The Epic is the result of a collective effort aimed at bringing together the residents of this socially deprived neighbourhood around a common project. Participation was voluntary. Participants perceived the project as a unique opportunity to build and leave a meaningful legacy as part of the upcoming urban regeneration programme. It was an opportunity for the elders to share personal and collective stories on the history of this inspirational place with younger generations so that they could connect with their neighbourhood on a deeper level. As a result, the project fostered a better understanding between generations and strengthened the residents’ sense of belonging.
The project was originated by the social housing provider LogiRep, which is a major housing provider in this district. It was supported by the Mayor of Nanterre as well as Adoma and Nanterre Coop Habitat, the two other social housing companies that own and manage this large area’s housing estates. Local historians provided additional support to undertake the required research.
The project was designed by a non-for-profit organisation called L’Epopée, which designed and rolled out all the components of the project (the outreach programme, the design and publication of the book as well as the exhibition). This is the third book published by this organisation.
Needless to say that the active participation of the residents of the estate was the key to success of the project. They helped curate the exhibition. The local «elderly « heroes » of the book shared their respective life stories and the students of the local schools collected these stories for the benefit of the whole community.
The Epopée team worked closely with the students of the local schools to design the interviews and research questions that were used to collect the material for the book. This formed part of a full-fledged educational project that was developed with local teachers. Students were also involved in undertaking some of the interviews. The project enabled them to develop new interpersonal and communication skills under the guidance of the Epopée’s team, who transcribed the life stories of the elderly residents, edited and proof-read the book. They commissioned a graphic designer who was in charge of developing a brand concept for the project. This design was used across all communication documents and materials, creating a unique brand identity for the project.
Historical research was used for the book and the exhibition. The Epopée team worked closely with the residents and the city of Nanterre Heritage Association whose members happily volunteered to be part of the project. Many people were interviewed for this project including architects, social counsellors, archive keepers, local retailers... In other words, the involvement of local people, who were directly or indirectly related to the estate, was tremendous.
The results and outcomes of this project are both tangible and intangible. They include the following:
• Local residents of all ages' greater sense of belonging and pride of their local neighbourhood stemming from their participation in the many activities organised throughout the project's creation
• The Epic book itself is a key component of the inspirational legacy of this project. It was gifted to each resident and the local public library. It is also available for sale in the local bookshops
• The Epic project also contributed to improve the quality of the interactions between the local tenants and their social housing providers
• Greater buy-in and acceptability of the extensive urban regeneration programme including the demolition of two residential towers
• A stronger relationship between the local council and the social housing providers
• The development of new research and interpersonal communication skills by the local students
• A deeper inter-generational relationship between the elderly and the younger residents.
• Increased social bonding between the residents of the estate and a stronger multi-cultural and inter-generational community
This district's transformation is part of a wider framework designed by the French National Urban Renewal Agency (also known as the ANRU) aimed at transforming France’s most deprived areas through large-scale partner-led rehabilitation programmes. Whilst these projects require by law that local partners undertake extensive community engagement, the development of targeted cultural heritage programmes such as The Epic project is not typically part of mainstream methodologies for urban regeneration, which mostly focus on engaging local residents in relation to the design aspects of the projects. The Epic project undoubtedly goes well beyond the mandatory legal requirements for stakeholder engagement.
An improved attractiveness of the targeted areas is a key component and expected outcome of these urban renewal programmes. This is usually achieved through a mix of interventions that range from the demolition of part of the decaying existing residential buildings, the development of a middle class housing mix to the introduction of new community facilities and the development of a renewed identity and branding for these areas. As part of the baseline reviews that are typically carried out for these regeneration projects, dedicated research around the history of the area is typically undertaken. However, this is usually done through desktop research as opposed to field research. The methodology developed by The Epic project is very unique because it captures the history and cultural heritage of a place through the lenses of its elderly residents, allowing local residents to feel more engaged in the transformation of their neighbourhood. The inter-generational component of the project is also particularly innovative because it allows the area’s cultural heritage to be preserved in both a tangible and intangible way by and for all generations.
The methodology for the project included a number of phases:
• Launch of a communication campaign targeted at the local residents, aimed at recruiting the eight elderly « heroes » to be featured in the book.
• The Epopée team conducted the interviews to collect the personal stories and memories from the « heroes ». This was done via a pre-established list of questions compiled by the local students with the help of the Epopée team.
• The Epopée team coordinated the research questions and associated activities, which included site visits, interviews, historical research. This was designed by the Epopée team, the elders and the local students.
• The Epopée team transcribed the residents’ personal stories, wrote and edited the text for inclusion in the book.
• The exhibition and the book launch event were designed by the Epopée team in partnership with the local partners and residents.
As mentioned, the redevelopment of the Chemin de l’Ile district is part of a large urban renewal programme, run by France’s ANRU. This framework was designed by the French central government to specifically target the country’s most deprived areas, most of which were developed in the 60s and 70s to house local and immigrant factory workers. Over time, the living environment on these estates significantly deteriorated due, in part, to the rise of unemployment and poverty levels and to the significant repair and maintenance requirements on the housing estates. Regeneration of these neighbourhoods has become a matter of urgent necessity.
LogiRep itself is currently involved in managing similar redevelopment projects across 12 different sites in the Paris and Normandy regions. The Epic project offers great potential to be replicated across other sites with similar characteristics. As a matter of fact, The Epic was shortlisted by the French trade organisation for social housing as a best practice case study for fostering a strong cultural heritage as part of urban regeneration programmes.
This project can easily be replicated in any European city where major urban redevelopments are undertaken. All it takes is the will of major stakeholders to organise a similar project, which could also be done as a movie documentary instead of a book. Such a recording of the memories and personal stories of elders or compilation of historical documents and visuals is particularly meaningful for a place that will undergo an extensive rehabilitation and will be so transformed that few will remember how it was before.
The methodology is easy to replicate. It only takes a skillfull coordinator for the project and the gathering of interested participants. Because such a project results in the building up of a strong social and inter-personal bonding between multi-cultural participants and generations, it is a highly valuable tool in any community building.
The many social housing buildings that were quickly built in the 60s and the 70s today require either a complete renovation or demolishing to rebuild better, more sustainably and thermally efficiently. For the people who have been living there long, there may be an emotional impact as they may need to relocate to a new place or see their familiar environment undergo deep transformation. It is sometimes traumatic for older generations whilst new generations would welcome these changes. Yet these renovations are much needed to bring a better living environment. By encouraging these elders to record their memories and bond with fellow residents, the emotional trauma of relocating and/or living through changes of a familiar environment can be alleviated.
In addition, the generational gap between young and old generations today is huge and creates either a lack of understanding or misunderstandings. Such a project bridges the generational gap in allowing the elderly to share with the youth what they have experienced. It builds and rebuilds inter-generational relationship and understanding around the sharing of common values. This project successfully demonstrates that it doesn’t take much to bridge that gap and unite generations around a common goal, for the better of everyone.
