France has a long tradition of social and state intervention in the provision of housing. In 1774,
Louis XV, shortly before his death, commissioned architect
Claude-Nicolas Ledoux to design the
Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans. The Saltworks are considered one of the first examples of industrial architecture. The complex included technical facilities, workers’ housing, and gardens, functioning as an integrated site where much of the working community resided. In the 19th century, in a context of industrialization, the
cités ouvrières (company towns) appeared, inspired by the
Phalanstère of
Charles Fourier. These were an early form of social housing — by private initiative — in the form of workers’ housing estates and other “corons” built by industrialists to house their workforce.
Gennevilliers, built by Habitations à Bon Marché de la Seine From 1898 until 1949, these private initiatives would be governed by a legal framework, the Siegfried Law. This law offered financial support to private initiatives to encourage the construction of low-rent housing (loan facilities and tax advantages). Within that framework, the first international congress of "Low-Cost Housing" () was held, and
Jules Siegfried, the deputy-mayor of Le Havre, founded the Société Française des Habitations à Bon Marché, which promoted the construction of housing for middle and working classes. In 1906, the Strauss Law strengthened the subsidies granted to private builders and managers of low-cost housing. The duration of tax benefits was extended from 5 to 12 years. The law encouraged municipalities and departments to support low-cost housing societies through financial aid. This provided further impetus to private construction of low cost housing. , FranceAfter
World War II the French population increased rapidly, while rural exodus brought many people to the cities. In many regions, the war had damaged housing. In order to slow the rapid rise of rents, the government passed a
rent control law in 1949. That effectively ended the economic benefits of housing investment. Also, housing construction was strictly regulated, which made building difficult without political support. Also in 1949, another law was adopted, championed by Eugène-Claudius Petit, Minister of Reconstruction and Urban Planning, that promoted a movement toward "superior comfort" – these were the Habitations à Loyers Modérés (H.L.M.) which then replaced the Habitations à Bon Marché (H.B.M.). The state had the money and the legal means to acquire the land and could provide some advantages to the companies that built the huge housing complexes of hundreds of apartments. Quality was also effectively regulated, resulting in decent or even top-quality housing, relative to the standards of the 1950s and 1960s. . Since 2000, 95% of all HLM dwellings are located in small buildings of 20 apartments or fewer.HLM construction was also a major source of political financing, and building companies were sometimes made to pay back the political party of the mayor who launched an HLM program. That resulted in
corruption scandals in the Paris region and elsewhere. In 1983, the National Housing Council (Conseil National de l'Habitat) was established as an official advisory body to the French government for consultation on housing assistance, social diversity, and home ownership. In 2000, the Law on Urban Solidarity and Renewal (Loi Solidarite et Renouvellement Urbain) required every town in France to have at least 20% HLM. In 2013, the
Duflot I law increased the HLM requirement to 25% by 2025. According to a study by the Banque des Territoires in 2025, building new or renovated social housing seems impossible given the budgetary equation in France. Sometimes the heat problems, especially in 1950s social housing, pose problems of convenience. == Different kinds of social housing ==