The Mobility/Immobility of Homeless People in Public Space in Bordeaux

“Homeless people” are often subject to stereotypes and generalizations that do not take into account the increasing diversity of situations that result from new kinds of poverty and poor housing. Studies on their needs and aspirations in terms of dwellings and mobility are often misinterpreted or based on standards that aren’t relevant to them. This research, conducted by a multidisciplinary team of students of political science and architecture in Bordeaux, seeks to understand the mobility and immobility of people who do not have access to a private place of attachment and intimacy, as well as the reasons these practices come up against normative injunctions emanating from a variety of actors.