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In-Depth Information
rate of unemployment. Today this population congregates to
the sides of the boulevard de Belleville at the Arab and Asian
shops, Muslim and Jewish establishments and the crowded,
inexpensive market. Much of this western side where the 20
e
and the 11
e
abut is rundown, but some parts bear the mixed
results of urban renewal.
In the 1960s, the 20
e
began to experience the same
faceless development as parts of the 13
e
and 15
e
, but the
outcry of the residents, les Bellevillois, caused at least some
areas to be preserved. Thus, this hilly northern part of the
district contains apartment blocks, charming cottages and
dismal slums. The area immediately above the steep Parc
de Belleville is up-and-coming, with new cafés and bars
enlivening the area; downhill, it approaches boulevard
de Belleville and the unsettled area described above. The
commercial rue de Ménilmontant cuts across the multiracial
area, separating it from the neighbourhoods below.
West of the cemetery Père-Lachaise—the largest garden
in Paris—and toward Porte de Bagnolet, lie the old hamlets
of Charonne and Bagnolet. In this generally residential area
around Place Chanute and Square Séverine are small cottages
on hilly, flowery side streets such as rue Paul Strauss. There
are also interesting niches off rue Saint-Blaise. Of course,
these are all nestled amidst apartment blocks or adjacent to
areas that are still waiting to be refurbished. It just depends
on where you look.
La Défense and the Western Suburbs
Although the suburbs are beyond the province of this topic,
some should certainly be considered, for many are extremely
popular with the international community. Many foreign
residents, especially those with families, commute into the
city or to La Défense from the
banlieue
(suburbs), which
offer a tranquil lifestyle, spacious gardened homes and
proximity to some of the international schools. The suburbs
are categorised by those that are near (
la proche banlieue
)
and linked by the
métro
to Paris, and those farther out (
les
banlieues plus éloignées
), reachable by RER (commuter
railway).
La banlieue ouest
(western suburbs) are most in
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