Educational spaces in social housing: Two research-action experiments in Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Paris

To improve service quality and reduce management costs, social landlords are stepping up the number of “social innovation” schemes, particularly those with an educational focus. The pedagogical approach linked to resident participation can be applied in a variety of ways, as shown in this article by the analysis of two action-research projects. The first, as part of the INCREASE Valorisation sociale project, is being carried out in the Boulogne-sur-Mer conurbation by the European Regional Development Fund, with the aim of resolving the problems of fuel poverty and the social and professional integration of households. The second, the SAPHIR program, is part of a call for projects issued by the Agence Régionale de la Santé Île-de-France to “reduce social inequalities in health”. Faced with these two initiatives, this article looks at the educational spaces created by third-party players using participatory approaches in these housing developments. It shows how these programs transform social housing into an educational space, enabling tenants to act and develop new skills, and social landlords to adapt their management methods.