Method 'Atelier populaire d’urbanisme'

Since 2019, Un Centre Ville Pour Tous has been organizing and leading Ateliers Populaires d'Urbanisme (APUs).

The first APU was launched in the 1970s in France by residents of the Alma Gare, a working-class neighbourhood of Roubaix, supported by a small group of experts called ABAC : together, they succeeded in avoiding demolition and imposing a counter-project. Others followed, in Lille, the Paris region and several French cities. The intention of the APUs is to develop participatory urban planning projects that stand for the interests of local residents. But the method used to conduct these workshops varies from city to city.

The APU set up by Un Centre Ville Pour Tous in Marseille is related to the method used in Grenoble (Villeneuve). The specificity is that the APUs carried out by Un Centre Ville Pour Tous are punctual, whereas in other cities they are permanent.

Purpose Enable residents to make an informed contribution to urban planning.

Tags/ keywords: Method, grassroots workshops, urban planning, urban struggle, right to the city, knowledge sharing, expertise, empowerment.