Railway stations are not only places for transport activity: into the heart of the cities, they are open and attractive spaces, with deep connections with society and territories.
That’s why railway stations are specific places, which have always been the subject of many economic, political, societal issues.
In France, in the past few years, railway stations have been gradually transformed and modernized to be more competitive and more attractive in the cities they served. Now a train station must generate profit to be financially independent, and contributeto the local development but also to the attraction and quality of a region.
This new economic model lead to open more and more shops in train stations, to transform them into commercial centers while some « non for profit » activities were relocated or closed.
However, we observed a resisting practice of solidarity in one of these stations: a hosting structure for homeless and refugees, which was settled in 1990’s to help fighting against extreme poverty in and around the train station.?
This structure seems to be resisting to the dominant commercial logic, continuing to provide hospitality and support for people in the need, while a major migratory crisis is currently impacting the region where the railway station is located.
This last social structure located inside a French railway station, is an original form of solidarity resistance against the capitalistic logic, which comes in response to a specific local need, in a humanitarian emergency context.
It shows the powerful influence of territorial and local elements and how they can allow – sometimes even support - such a practise to maintain itself in the station, against the current with the railway company’s decisions.
This case study illustrates how railway stations may be able to play a role in future urban transitions, because they are local interfaces with all parts of society, where can be reconciled contradictions between economic and societal dynamics.
Mots clés : railway station|solidarity| resistance |migration|sustainable city
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