Villeurbanne 1959: The Aux Buers Shanty Town

Historical records and imagery from Le Progrès have highlighted the existence of shanty towns in the Lyon region during the mid-20th century, specifically focusing on a settlement located at Aux Buers in Villeurbanne.

Photographic documentation from June 1959 shows a bidonville, or shanty town, persisting at the foot of the area in Villeurbanne. These settlements were characterized by improvised housing and a lack of formal urban infrastructure.

Understanding Shanty Towns

A shanty town is defined as a human settlement consisting of improvised buildings, often referred to as shacks or shanties. These structures are typically constructed from materials such as wood and mud, or inexpensive materials like corrugated iron sheets.

Initially, these settlements generally lack adequate infrastructure. Critical missing services often include safe water supplies, proper sanitation, electricity and street drainage.

While some shanty towns remain small informal settlements, others can grow to house millions of people. Over time, some of these areas may develop infrastructure and transition into middle-class neighborhoods.

Global and Regional Context

Shanty towns are found globally, with significant examples including Dharavi in India, Orangi in Pakistan, and Ciudad Neza in Mexico. They are known by different regional names, such as favelas in Brazil, gecekondu in Turkey, and villa miseria in Argentina.

Although most prevalent in developing nations, they also appear in developed nations. Examples include settlements in Madrid and Athens, with Cañada Real cited as the largest informal settlement in Europe.

These settlements often emerge on disputed building projects, swampland, or railway sidings. In South Africa, they are known as squatter camps or plakkerskampe, often growing rapidly on public spaces or vacant land near employment opportunities to avoid transport costs.

Historical Examples of Improvised Housing

Similar patterns of improvised housing have been documented in other regions during the mid-20th century. In North Wales, a shanty town existed at Talacre Beach, specifically in an area called The Warren.

The settlement at Talacre Beach began in the early 1930s with holiday chalets, but evolved during World War II as evacuees fled bombing raids on Merseyside’s shipyards and docks. Due to a shortage of chalets, residents built makeshift huts or converted old buses, railway carriages, and caravans into homes.

Like the bidonvilles seen in Lyon and Villeurbanne, the Talacre Beach community lacked running water and electricity. It became a haven for many families from Merseyside and Manchester, including lone mothers and their children, seeking safety away from target cities.

The term shanty itself is believed to have originated in North America, likely derived from the Scottish Gaelic words sean (old) and taigh (house), or the French word chantier, referring to a construction site and the quarters of low-level workers.