The Olympics have packed up and left Paris, but they have left a few things behind in France. Billions were pumped into an Olympic village and sports facilities in Seine-Saint Denis, a city and region north of the capital, with a hope it would transform one of the poorest corners of France.

Seine-Saint-Denis

The 2024 Summer Olympics are underway in Paris, with competition lasting until mid-August.

Paris Olympics

As athletes vacate the Olympic village in France, the area in Seine-Saint-Denis is set to transform into a blend of private and social housing. Nearly $4.5 billion has been invested in the infrastructure to improve one of the poorest regions north of Paris. Local officials are hopeful that this investment will bring an economic boost to the area. 

Despite the optimism, some residents remain sceptical. They highlight increased security measures but note little else has changed. Previous promises of transformation, such as those made during the construction of the Stade de France in 1998, brought new transport links and business relocations, but the economic benefits were largely seen by commuters rather than local residents.

Saint-Denis' local government aims to leverage Olympic-related investments to generate better jobs and transform the region into a tourist hub. They point to the refurbished rail station, new aquatic centre, and renovated skyscrapers as evidence of progress. However, some community members express concern over the rapid pace of development, desiring a more balanced focus that includes environmental and health considerations alongside economic improvements.

Local officials remain optimistic, viewing this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform a region home to nearly two million people, where nearly a third live in poverty.



France's Olympic village legacy: From athletes' quarters to housing

As athletes move out of the Olympic village, it'll become a mixture of private and social housing that it's hoped will bring an economic jolt to Seine-Saint-Denis. This region north of Paris has been synonymous with poverty and crime. Nearly $4.5 billion has been spent on infrastructure for the Games to try and transform these suburbs. But some who live here remain sceptical. For me, honestly, it hasn't changed anything. Now there's more police, more security, but otherwise nothing changed. And when the Games are over, I think the neighbourhood will always stay the same. This isn't the most deprived neighbourhood, it's not that bad. But yes, of course, there are always things to improve, things that we could have more of, infrastructure that we could have in addition to stadiums, that kind of thing. Saint-Denis has been promised transformation before. When the Stade de France was built in 1998, it brought new transport links and major businesses relocated their headquarters here. The white-collar employees who work for the companies that moved here tend to commute from Paris, while Saint-Denis residents travel the other way for lower-paid jobs in the capital. The local government wants to use that Olympic-related investment to bring better jobs here. The deputy mayor of Saint-Denis says this time the region will be transformed into a tourist hub. We have a quarter of a million passengers a day passing through our main train station. We have sporting infrastructure. We have the huge Pleyel Tower that's now a hotel. Our ambition is 2,000 to 3,000 hotel rooms here. We're 30 to 40 minutes from the two main airports of Paris. We want that all to give us a dominant role in tourism. There's a new aquatic centre next to the Stade de France. Saint-Denis' rail station has been renovated and a 1970s-era skyscraper has been converted into a hotel. But some local people worry the transformation has been a bit too fast. These projects are being done under the banner of the Olympic Games, but should have been under the vanguard of something better. We realise it's a city of economy, economy, economy, but what we need is economy, environment and health. Local officials hope this scepticism from some parts of the community will be proved wrong. They know this has been a once-in-a-generation opportunity to start transforming a region that's home to nearly two million people and where nearly a third live in poverty. Bernard Smith, Al Jazeera, Saint-Denis.

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