----Les francais ont une image beaucoup plus negative de la banlieue que les americains. Elle est synonyme de vie difficile, d'echec, de chomage, de lieu indesirable et beaucoup pensent a la region parisienne. En revanche, les americains la considerent comme un endroit paisible ou il fait bon vivre. ----

----Les francais ont une image beaucoup plus negative de la banlieue que les americains. Elle est synonyme de vie difficile, d'echec, de chomage, de lieu indesirable et beaucoup pensent a la region parisienne. En revanche, les americains la considerent comme un endroit paisible ou il fait bon vivre.

----French students tend to associate suburbs with problems and discontent, and they seem to think that Paris is superior to the suburbs. Why? Are any of the suburbs considered a nice place to live? How do the problems of living in a city (Paris, for example) compare to the problems of the suburbs? ----Also, what is RER?

----The French have negative impressions of the suburbs. Could this have anything to do with the attitude that to live outside Paris is not as desireable, fashionable and trendy? Could it have anything to do with the preconception that Parisiens are more outgoing, proactive, aggressive? ----For Americans, the suburbs represent the 'ideal' American home -- a nice house with a big lawn, safe streets, good neighbors and lots of policemen!

----It is interesting to see that the French word banlieue has opposite connotations of the American suburb. While both see the suburbs as no greater than middle-class, the French version is akin to the American inner-city, with connotations of 'ghetto' and 'rap' and 'delinquance'. ----When I visited Paris, it seemed to me that the inner city was much more refined, with emphasis on central beauty and common enjoyment of the resources of the area. Americans in the inner-city often have no such civic-mindedness, whereas Americans in the suburb have interactive communities and many local 'traditions.' ----In America, the cheapness of the automobile and the ease of getting gasoline also makes the suburbs more accessible for the middle class, I think. Most cities still have no really good means of public transportation, which puts the suburbs almost on equal ground with the apartment. One final note is that an element of American culture seems to value owning one's home, especially for the purposes of raising children. This may simply be because there is so much land, but it goes back to the time of Westward migration and before... Edward

----For Americans, you live in the suburbs if you have more money and in the city if you have less - roughly. The view Americans have of the suburbs may come from history. Many immigrants move into the city to find work and live in poorer neighborhoods. After they have made enough money, they can afford to move into the quieter suburbs where they will probably live in a house larger than their city appartment. The suburbs are often considered by many to be a nicer place to raise a family, having less crime than cities. This is not universal - just a trend after the invention of the automobile and the rise of the middle class in the first half of this century. Also, cheap gas and huge highways allow those who live in the suburbs to commute to work in the city.