CITÉLÈVE
Ellen De Guiran (Sciences Po), Alec Fischtal (Harvard), Audrey Grevet (CRI), Mark Theodore Meneses (Harvard)
Parisian university students face difficulties in securing affordable housing options for the duration of their scholastic careers. Concurrently, Paris suffers discrepancies in economic and educational outcomes between Paris intra-muros and suburban banlieues such as Seine-Saint-Denis. Previous approaches have attempted to solve these issues separately, focusing on either housing initiatives or providing tutoring services. In 2024, Paris will play host to the Olympic Games, opening many possibilities to improve economic development, housing conditions and quality of life. However, municipalities which have hosted the Olympic games have faced difficulties with finding sustainable ways to re-utilize infrastructure built for the games.
In line with the objective of a sustainable Paris 2024 games, our solution proposes reallocating approximately 150 units in the to-be-built Olympic Athletes village as affordable housing for low-income students. In return, students receiving housing will participate in a mentorship program designed to empower at-risk adolescents from St-Denis and St- Ouen through offering educational help, role modeling and companionship.
Our solution draws inspiration from the Signal Recognition Particle, the mechanism by which proteins dock within the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum. Similarly to the protein, student’s access to housing allows them to pursue their ambition without “misfolding” toward career choices that do not match their interest.
