Village in the city: the experience of a district that stands as territory and venue

Résumé 0

On the basis of a field survey led between 2013 and 2015 in a residential district of an urban agglomeration in north-eastern France – a district faced with substantial population ageing –, this article analyses the relationships of over-65s to the district. It notably seeks to understand the reasons why this space, composed of one-storey houses ill-adapted to ageing, is home to numerous initiatives by its inhabitants and a busy social life. Why is such a district experienced as a “village with a soul”? This question beckons all the more attention as the morphologies of urban sprawl, reflected in the construction of residential neighbourhoods, did not take ageing into account in their development process. The research results demonstrate the extent to which the district here is seen not as a space that is by definition anonymous and featureless, but as both a territory of commitments on the part of organisations and a place of sociability with numerous stages (supermarket, historic centre, etc.). From this standpoint, the research underlines that where a district offers accessibility, safety and friendliness, seniors can project themselves and hope to “age well” there. By doing so, the article aims to show that it is not so much the individual home that is important but the district in itself. This results in strong expectations that the district does not become a zone of uncertainty.