Government

Paris Declares War on 'Ghettoes for the Rich'

The city will build public housing in its wealthiest neighborhoods.
The Passy neighbourhood, in Paris's western 16th Arrondissement, is one of France's wealthiest.Guillaume Baviere/Flickr

“Rich people’s ghettoes in Paris—they’re finished!”

So shouted the headline of an interview with Paris Habitat Commissioner Ian Brossat this weekend. Charged with looking after the city’s housing needs, Brossat is hoping to take Paris into uncharted waters by overseeing an intervention in its wealth map.