Quite a difference

It appears like France's slum's are in the suburbs and that people tend to live in the city or in the contryside, while here in the US, our slums tend to be in the cities and people tend to live in the suburbs or the countryside. Maybe this has something to do with housing projects? In the US, most housing projects were built in the cities, where people who didn't have cars, and where rent is very expensive, could live in the projects instead and be able to use public transportation (which rarely reaches the suburbs to any significant degree) and continue to work. How did things develop in France? I get the impression they projects were built in the suburbs, what was the reasoning there? Transportation was good enough that they could make the rent even less expensive out in the suburbs so it would be very easy to live there?

Absolutely different

When it comes to cities, there is an enormous difference between the USA and France (or Europe in general). French cities are older and are so important from an historical point of view that part of the culture is embedded in the buildings and streets. In the USA, except for cities like New York and Boston (those in "New England"), most cities don't have much tradition and people prefer to have a house with a yard in the suburbs.

Wow

I have to say that I was completely surprised when I read your responses for this word. I lived my entire life in the suburbs, and it just seemed natural for me that all suburbs would be like my home. My first reaction was to make sure that "Suburbs" and "Banlieue" were actually the same thing. I did notice that there were a couple of people who had comparable descriptions to what we wrote. To the people who left these responses, did you grow up in or near one of these nicer suburbs? I'm guessing there aren't as many of these, so where are they located? Are they all in one area or spread about the country?

rectification

La banlieue en France a une conotation négative mais elle n'est pas comme décrite ci-dessus...loin de là....mais en aucun cas on peut parler dee ghettos ou de dortoirs et ce n'est pas précaire car la plupart des gens riches vivent dans de grandes maison en banlieue.... Le centre ville de Paris est certes très en vue est très cher mais la banlieur possède un un caractère essentiel:l'espace.

the Bronx?

When you say "des zones comme le Bronx," are you comparing the Bronx to your banlieues? In its defense, the Bronx doesn't seem comparable (at least not anymore, the crime rate is improving, I believe)--at least I would never associate the words "horreur" or "racaille" with it. But I think you just want to know if there's a term in English that is analogous to 'banlieue' that applies to the more dangerous parts of our cities. I'm not sure there's actually a word for it; I guess the word 'inner-city' has a negative connotation. Other than that, all I can think of is the word 'slum,' which was mentioned by Paul Elliott. That word implies cheap housing, low-income tenants, immigrants, unemployment, alcoholism, and drugs, but it doesn't refer to a specific location in relation to a city. Many cities have had their slums on the fringes instead of in the middle. I guess the real difference is just this word "suburbs." A slum might be on the edge of a city, but it wouldn't ever be called a suburb. Suburbs are generally their own towns; they have their own zip codes and movie theaters and malls (depending on the size). Slums, on the other hand, aren't a separate town at all, just a section of the city. Does that make sense? For you, are banlieues considered a part of the city? or are they just smaller towns built outside the city to be close to it?

New York City

Tout d'abord, je crois que le commentaire de Meg est très pertinent. En effet, pour nous, le mot banlieue ne désigne pas un quartier d'une grande ville, comme le Bronx est un quartier de New York (tout comme Manhattan, Broklyn...). On parlera plutôt de "boroughs" dans ces cas là. En fait, le mot "banlieue" désigne plutôt tout ce qui se trouve à la péroiphérie d'une grande ville comme Paris. Mais le problème vient plutôt de la vision que l'on a de la banlieue...certains n'y ont jamais vécu ou n'y ont peut-être jamais mis les pieds, mais ils ont une opinion arrêtée de quelque chose qu'ils ne connaissent pas vraiment. A ce sujet, les médias ont un pouvoir terrifiant pour influencer les esprits. Mais cela mis à part, on peut trouver des quartiers à Paris même où il est dangeureux de sortir tard le soir. En fait, en "banlieue", on trouve de tout. Je crois que la banlieue en France rime avec cosmopolite, même si cela déplaît à certains... Pour vivre en banlieue et avoir vécu toute mon enfance dans une ville "chaude", je peux vous dire que ce qui entretient cette image négative de la banlieue ce sont les "faits divers" relatés dans la presse, qui ne correspondent pas du tout à la réalité quotidienne de la vie en banlieue. Donc, il existe en France beaucoup de personnes pour qui le mot "banlieue" n'a aucune connotation négative : pour tous ceux qui y vivent, et certains autres j'espère.