Case Studies > Paris - Plaine Commune

Nine different sites, located in five different cities of the Northern Parisian suburbs, have been selected as case studies for the Paris Metropolis. They are very representative of the different types of heritage as well as of the diverse heritagization processes in a metropolis more widely known for its centrally located monumental heritage. These 9 sites are:

1. Saint Ouen Flea market in Saint-Ouen
2. The Cité du Cinema located in a former power plant in Saint-Denis
3. The former Christofle factory in Saint-Denis
4. The Grand Bassin, a former public pool in Saint-Denis
5. The Garden city at Stains
6. The Steet Art Avenue at Saint-Denis
7. The  ‘Villa Mais d’Ici’, a former factory transformed into Artist’s residences in Aubervilliers
8. The  Cité de la Muette, a social Housing and memory site at Drancy
9. The Fort of Aubervilliers in Aubervilliers

The Northern suburbs of Paris, located in a vast plain where it was easy to build canals (1820) and railways (1840-1850), have historically hosted industrial, transport and warehouse activities since the beginning of the 19^th century and the industrialization of the Parisian metropolis. During the  industrialization of Seine-Saint-Denis, important construction of workers’ housing took place in the area, either small housing and Garden cities or later large public housing estates. The working class history of the area partly explains the current data in terms of socio-demographic, economic and settlement characteristics of the area characterized also by a very cosmopolitan population. This past left important traces in terms of tangible and intangible heritage.

Due to its proximity to Paris, Plaine commune experiences recently an important urban development. Plaine commune will host the Olympic village in 2024 Paris OG. This impacts diversely its built heritage, between cultural valorization, functionalistic reconversions of sites, or demolition.