Les points de vue divergent fortement sur la question des banlieues. En lisant les questionnaires Américains, on a l'impression que la banlieue est un espace calme et tranquille où il fait bon vivre. Les mots "grass" et "no buildings" témoignent de la qualité de vie offerte par les banlieues américaines. En quelque sorte, vivre à la banlieue symbolise le rêve de l'américain moyen. Les Français dressent quant à eux un tableau noir de la vie en banlieue. La banlieue française est avant tout synomyme de ghetto d'insécurité et de misère. Elle est grise et délabrée et de nombreux défavorisé y vivent. Si la banlieue faisait fantasmer les américains pour la liberté qu'elle procurait, elle fait cauchemarder les étudiants français qui la voient comme une prison.

Bonjour à tous! Etant donné qu'ici il est environ 14 heures, ce qui fait 8 heures sur la côte est des USA,je devrais plutôt dire "Good Morning!". Voilà après cette brève présentation. Ah pardon, je m'appelle Arnaud, j'ai 22 ans et j'habite Versailles. Au sujet de la comparaison entre les mots 'suburbs' et 'banlieue' je pense que la nette différence entre les deux sens vient en fait des disparités entre le culture française et la culture américaine. Je suis déjà allé aux USA à Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) et la conception des villes américaines et des villes françaises n'est pas la même. En France le centre des villes correspond aux quartiers les plus anciens, avec des immeubles de plusieurs siècles, ce sont généralement les quartiers les plus chers et les plus recherchés. Tout autour de ce cœur historique se trouve la proche banlieue avec des immeubles modernes et parfois des quartiers difficiles. Puis dans la campagnes autour des villes se trouves de jolies villas avec de grands jardins. Aux USA le centre de la ville est peu habité et correspond au quartier des affaires, autour se trouvent de petites villes qui forment la "suburbs", ce sont les quartiers résidentiels. En France la mot banlieue à un sens négatif synonyme de chômage, danger, drogue... Aux USA les "suburbs" sont synonymes de communauté, famille, maison... Ce qui n'est pas tout à fait la même chose!!

Hello, everyone! The responses to suburbs/banlieue are so different it's like we're not talking about the same thing at all. My "mental picture" of a suburb consists of many small streets with cookie-cutter houses and big green lawns with driveways; also, the typical suburb is not within walking distance of anything other than a gas station or 7-11. You have to drive to get anywhere, which is a major detraction of suburbs, in my opinion. The French suburbs sound terrible. Is "banlieue" not the best translation of "suburbs"?

I think the words "suburb" and "banlieue" correspond to the same geographic areas, but they obviously don't correspond to the same environment. As far as American suburbs go, they are seen as the more affluent areas to live, and this is mostly because of what happened to cities during and after the Industrial Revolution. Factories came to the large cities, and with them came many poor factory workers, who needed to live near their jobs. So lots of low-income housing and poorer families began to populate inner cities. Eventually, many factories and businesses closed down, leaving some of the poor families and all of the low-income housing. So most American inner cities have the same dangerous environments as the French people's "banlieues." The people who were unhappy with the decay of the inner cities decided to live on the fringes, which turned into America's suburbs. People wanted to raise their children away from the danger and crowdedness of big cities, and so most Americans think of suburbs in very positive terms. I am curious to see just why the French students think of their suburbs as dangerous and unfavorable places to live.

I agree with all the above comments that Americans see suburbs in more of a positive light than do the French. I think there could be many reasons for this. I think maybe the city life in French has a higher cost of living than the suburbs, so maybe people's goals are to be able to live in the cities. Also because those cities are old and full of culture. In the US, I think, there is a mix between people who want to live in the city and people who want to live in the suburbs. The people who prefer city life and the busy life would write things as boring under the suburb life; however people who like the peaceful life of trees, quiet streets, etc. are more prone to say positive words about it. Also, I think a large portion of Americans live in the suburbs.

I agree with the posts above. Cities tend to be loud and crowded. Also, Americans work in the cities. Perhaps after a busy day at work, Americans, especially those with a family, want to be away from the noise and the stress as much as possible. Thus, it is ideal for most Americans to live away from work so that they can enjoy the peace and tranquil environment. The cost of transportation however, can at times be expensive, so commuting to work is a cost that has to be taken into consideration. Thus, the suburbs tend to be inhabited by the more affluent. Cities also tend to be populated by the youth and the single, who enjoy night life, partying, etc. Thus more family-oriented people tend to stay in the suburbs.

In the United States, the suburbs are generally inhabited by the upper/middle class, whereas the city is generally inhabited by either the working class or by the very rich who can afford to live in the well maintained parts of of the city. As one's economic situation gets better, one tries to move to the outskirts of the city in order to avoid the hustle and bustle of the inner city, yet still enjoying proximity to the city.

I am still confused as to how it works in France if the suburbs are run down areas. Do the middle/upper class live in the inner cities? I look forward to reading your response.

Bonjour.

I was thinking around the same lines as Fahad. In France we have that the suburbs are rundown, dangerous areas, however, where do most of the middle class folks live? Someone mentioned that the most affluent French could have nice villas with gardens even further away from the cities, but I don't have a clear picture in my mind where could you find the economically active section of the city if most people already live there. Where would you find the office buildings, the banks, etc?

I also found it particularly interesting to mention the dichotomy between the French and US inner cities. We almost invariably think of "downtown" as the newer, more active part of the city, meanwhile the French thought of the inner city as the more historic part of town. I just wanted to make a note of that. =)

I was very surprised by the difference in the responses for this word. The Suburbs in America are the picture of the old-fashioned ideal - green, grassy lawns, picket fences, trees, bushes, and smiling neighbors. I find it difficult to equate the word suburb with anything else (though I have heard other say "rich and snobby").

People often describe Boston as the most "European" of American cities. It is certainly American in many ways, but it fits some of the descriptions people have already posted of a European city. It is not terribly large, the downtown area is full of historical buildings, and downtown is certainly the most expensive place to live here. Still, the Boston suburbs are as American as any. Suburban culture here is dominant, and those who live in the city are often asked how they can deal with the lack of lawns, driveways, and trees.

What exactly are the suburbs (or perhaps I should refer to the area only as "banlieue" because I don't think suburbs really fits) like in France? I can tell from the word associations that they are high-crime areas, and generally negatively regarded. I live in a suburb near Philadelphia (about 150 Km south of New York), and I think my neighborhood is wonderful, quiet, and friendly. I can't concieve of a suburb being much else.

Hi everyone! Je dois dire que je m'attendais un peu à ce genre de réponses des Américains, c'est-à-dire que leurs 'suburbs' sont plutôt des endroits beaux et paisibles, où habitent les gens plus aisés. J'avais un peu cette idée. Pour vous décrire un peu une banlieue. Notre campus se trouve dans une banlieue de Paris et ce n'est pas la plus belle. Se ballader le soir hors du campus n'est pas recommandé. Le problème est que le grand supermarché (et le seul d'ailleurs) se trouve à 15 minutes à pied. Et beaucoup de gens n'ont pas de voiture. On se sent parfois un peu enfermer (pour ma part du moins), parce qu'en gros il n'y a rien endehors du campus. Ici il n'y a même pas de cinéma (mais, ça c'est vraiment un extrême). Des gens de notre école se sont déjà fait aggresser et il n'est pas rare d'entendre à la radio qu'il y a eu un nouvel affrontement entre bandes rivales. Chez moi j'habite dans une petite ville où il y a des crimes mais pas à cette échelle. Et quand je suis venue ici, ça m'a surpris de voir la police dans les trains et metro tout le temps. Mais c'est aussi un peu normal, car on n'est pas loin de Paris, où il y a beaucoup de monde et où un maximum de sécurité doit être assuré. J'ai une question à propos de la police. Est-ce que chez vous, vous la voyez beaucoup ou est-ce qu'elle est présente certes mais invisible (less obvious at least)? Ici, j'ai un peu l'impression qu'ils sont partout pour faire peur aux 'criminels' du genre: 'Méfiez-vous, on n'est pas loin!' Mais je ne pense pas que cela ait un grand effet. Mais toutes les banlieues ne sont pas comme ça. Il y en a de très belles autour de Paris où on ne doit pas s'attendre à attraper une balle dans le dos à chaque fois qu'on ose s'y promener (non, mais j'exagère un peu!). A bientôt! Maud

In terms of street layout (which isn't everything, of course), I think DC is more European than Boston. In most US cities, the streets are laid out in a grid-like pattern. In DC, like most European cities, there are major streets both radiating outward from the center and in concentric rings around the center. I guess that's not surprising seeing as it was designed by a French guy, Pierre L'Enfant.