Cité Gagarine

Cité Gagarine was a housing project in Ivry-sur-Seine, France. It was built by the Communist Party of France government starting in 1961 and inaugurated in 1963,^[2] and was a symbol of the vibrancy of communism in France at the time.^[3][4] It was named for the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human who went to space. Gagarin attended the inauguration of the housing project in 1963.^[5]

Cité Gagarine
Cité Gagarine in the process of demolition in 2020
General information
Location	Ivry-sur-Seine, France
Coordinates	48°48′52″N 2°23′15″E
No. of units	382[1]
Constructed	1961-1963
Demolished	2019, on-going

With the de-industrialization of France in the 1970s, the workforce that comprised the main part of the population of Cité Gagarine began to lose its employment, and voter affiliation with the Communist Party of France declined. Over the years, Cité Gagarine came to house more immigrants from outside of France.^[6]

Cité Gagarine's demolition began in 2019^[7] and took place over 16 months.^[8] The start of the demolition of the housing project drew crowds and made news both in France and internationally.^{[9][10][11][12]}

A film made by writer-director duo Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh released in 2020, Gagarine, is set on the estate as it faces impending demolition, exploring themes of isolation and community in a magical realist manner.^[13]

References

1. Méheut, Constant; Onishi, Norimitsu (2019-09-11). "French Housing Project, Once a Symbol of the Future, Is Now a Tale of the Past". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
2. "'Goodbye Gagarin': Paris suburb razes Communist housing estate". hindustantimes.com. 2019-08-30. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
3. Méheut, Constant; Onishi, Norimitsu (2019-09-11). "French Housing Project, Once a Symbol of the Future, Is Now a Tale of the Past". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
4. "'Goodbye Gagarin': Paris razes estate built by Communists". businesstimes.com.sg. 2019-08-31. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
5. "'Goodbye Gagarin': Paris suburb razes Communist housing estate". hindustantimes.com. 2019-08-30. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
6. Méheut, Constant; Onishi, Norimitsu (2019-09-11). "French Housing Project, Once a Symbol of the Future, Is Now a Tale of the Past". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
7. "'Goodbye Gagarin': Paris suburb razes Communist housing estate". hindustantimes.com. 2019-08-30. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
8. "Au Revoir, Gagarin: French Housing Named After Soviet Cosmonaut Coming Down". 2019-09-03. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
9. "La cité Gagarine d'Ivry va être démolie dans les prochains jours". leparisien.fr. 2019-08-30. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
10. "Ivry-sur-Seine dit adieu à la cité Gagarine". leparisien.fr. 2019-08-30. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
11. "La cité Gagarine détruite et remplacée par un écoquartier". lefigaro.fr. 2019-08-31. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
12. "Au revoir Gagarine". lavie.fr. 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
13. Romney, Jonathan. "'Gagarine': Cannes Label 2020 Review". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 30 November 2020.