The Angers "City", social, not financial

The project is undoubtedly driven by good intentions but it could get out of control. Angers town hall has launched on April 6 the construction of "The city", but, in spite of its title, the goal of the Angers structure has nothing to do do with the functions of its London homonym, one of the most important financial place of the world. In Angers, The City could even be the exact opposite : the promotion of the selfless involvment to solidarity directed to the town most underpriviledged inhabitants.

Credit Angers city

"The associations are at the core of the development model of Angers", said the mayor, Frédéric Beatse, who doesn' rule out that "this political choice is voluntarist and maybe at counter-current" of the mood. In France, such an initiative obviously reminds a similar choice in favor of Houses of culture, made by many towns of France in the sixties. After a quick increase of their number in the seventies, there are no more than four structures still alive. 

The project, due to be completed in 2013, is financed by the Pays de la Loire authority and funds of the European Union, and would cost more than 12 millions €. But nothing is indicated about its operating costs. At a time of predictable austerity for Angers and France, the Angers "City" could be untenable. But, "the roads to hell are sometimes paved with good intentions".