The fragile urban situation of cultural producers in Paris

Cultural activities are being heralded as key factors in the dynamism of cities. In order to analyze the urban dynamics of cultural producers, a precise characterization of the relevant categories has to be used. The article studies the case of cultural producers in Paris using the category that identifies them more specifically in the French system of occupation categories. It shows the strong concentration of the category in Paris, with some downward trend however in the 1990s. It discusses the paradoxical character of a high level of central urban residence for a category who are the professionals with the lowest income levels and the most precarious types of jobs. As a conclusion, the consequences for a possible gentrification of the areas of their relocation in neighborhoods outside the central city of Paris are discussed, and the possible effects on the social profile and demography of cultural producers of the changes in the economic structures of cultural industries and in the related public policies in France.