- published: 06 May 2015
- views: 11229
HLM (pronounced: [aʃ ɛl ɛm]) is the acronym of Habitation à Loyer Modéré ("rent-controlled housing"), a form of private or public housing in France, and also in Switzerland.
HLMs constitute 16% of all housing in France. There are approximately four million such residences, housing an estimated 10 million people. The standard of living in the HLM housing projects is often the lowest in the country.
72% of HLMs built before 2001 (and 95% of those built between 2001 and 2011) are small buildings or individual houses. The average size of buildings is 20 apartments. Construction of HLM is mainly financed by funds collected on Livret A, a type of savings account regulated by the Caisse des dépôts et consignations. In 2011, the French people have placed 280 billion euros on this type of savings account.
HLM should not be confused with public housing in France; many HLM organizations are completely private, although many are also public.
The HLM system was created in 1950 in response to France's post-war housing crisis. The low level of construction during and between the two world wars, the rural exodus that had started to take place in France — directed mainly at Île-de-France, the region around Paris — and the baby boom, together contributed to a deficit of an estimated four million residences. Eugène Claudius-Petit, the Minister for Reconstruction and Urbanisation, promoted a scheme of massive construction of socially subsidised residences to address this problem. The new system took its foundations from the HBM (habitation à bon marché – "inexpensive housing") system which had been created in 1889 and financed mainly by charitable sources rather than the state.
Three white cars passed me by,
I could see the clouds
In their windshields.
Three white stars in a twilight sky,
And now that
The clouds are gone
I see,
One more that catches my eye,
I see,
Into the heart of the sky,
I see,
Something I tasted long ago
That was coming back to me
Come back.
I remember you reminded me
Of the subtleties
The little things that make your day
And the rain moves on
As the tide rolls in
In just a few days I'll still be here,
But you'll be far
Far away.
So one last time I hold you near
And save the hero
For another day
I remember you reminded me
Of the subtleties
The little things that make your day
And the rain moves on
As the tide rolls in
And the distance between us
Wouldn't seem so long
If we knew that one of those birds
Still left up in the sky
Gave a cry as he witnessed
One of those moments that you and I
Both look at the stars in the twilight sky
And count ONE, TWO, THREE
And one more that catches my eye
I remember you reminded me
Of the subtleties
The little things that make your day
And the rain moves on
As the tide rolls in