Le Mirail ("mirror" in Occitan) is one of those 1960's housing estates built with the vision of architects inspired by Le Corbusier, but which today has become an isolated ghetto dominated by gangs of drug dealers. In south east Toulouse the suburb is an important element in the municipal elections next month. All the parties deplore the rise of violence and intimidation in the quarter but there is no unanimity of solutions. Some of the 50 year old high rises are being demolished, but it is more than housing - jobs, leisure, security for those innocent residents are also needed. Toulouse prides itself on being modern and dynamic and this quarter built in the age of Concorde is a blot on the city's image in the age of Airbus.
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