Le Samaritain, the slum who strove to become a village

Abstract

Organised around the Samaritan church which gives it its name, this shanty town in La Courneuve (France) had been home to around 330 people for seven years in 2015. When all legal remedies to prevent eviction had been exhausted, a collective made up of residents and activists (health, rights, architecture, advocacy) set up a project to gradually move out of the shanty town. Equipped with the means and numerous supporters, its ambition was to preserve the Samaritan, but also to propose social, cultural and urban innovations that would serve as an example. After several months of struggle and a huge mobilisation of support, the Samaritan was evicted in August 2015: it had to be cleared for the "COP 21".