Archive for July, 2016

Terrorism and the state of emergency in France

On July 14, Bastille Day, a national holiday celebrating the French Revolution, a Franco-Tunisian man drove a truck through the crowds killing 84 people and leaving many more wounded. The attack was the third big terrorist attack in France since January 2015. The Islamic State claimed the attack, despite the fact that authorities have found […]

Les Halles and the neoliberal city

In 2004 the city of Paris announced the renovation of Les Halles, an area that until the 1970s served as the main food market of the city. Les Halles gathered farmers and shoppers in the city-center for centuries but in the 70s, the city moved the food market to the suburbs and in its place […]

Urban geography, difference, and territoriality in France

Saint Denis is a city to the north of Paris, located in the inner suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis. It is, by all measures, a global city. With a population of over 90,000 inhabitants, Saint Denis is extremely diverse. Here we encounter populations from North Africa, Sub-Sahara Africa and the Middle East along with “native” French. The […]