'La France moche': French artists rally to celebrate the country's much-snubbed commercial zones

Heir to the Trente glorieuses, commercial zones in city suburbs generally suffer from a poor image. Elodie Bitsindou, Fourni par l'auteur

On 11 September, France’s Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, Christopher Béchu, and Olivia Grégoire, the Minister Delegate for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Trade, Crafts, and Tourism, announced a national programme to rethink the country’s commercial zones.

Often situated at the edge of towns, these zones are major consumer hubs. France counts no less than 1,500 of them, equivalent to an area of 500 km², or 5 times the size of Paris. 72% of spending by French households takes place within them, according to the country’s economy ministry.