Pluralistic ambiance and urban socialisation

Abstract

In this article we propose to describe the ambiance in one of the oldest cosmopolitan neighbourhoods of Paris, La Goutte d’Or. We will analyse the currents driving public life, which has clung to this space despite “urban renewal” policies spanning 30 years. The neighbourhood operates as a centrality, a hub of networks for immigrant communities, and the street here has been turned into an arena for social interaction and informal business activities. It is both a source of cultural inspiration and rejuvenation, and a popular “cosmo-political” scene, a multi-faceted world subjected to constant tension. We study the spontaneous gatherings prompted day after day by the spectacle of the street, the dynamics of communication and concern stirred up by public life. We see that this ambiance is a many-sided forge, the focus of much attention, dispersing opinions, redefining thresholds, a forge crystallizing a variety of publics mutually concerned by what they can or cannot share.

Keywords

• ambiance
• informality
• immigration
• street
• crowd
• publics