4 ms·

I know next to nothing about the US but France has 3 million unoccupied housings. https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7727384 https://www.insee.fr/fr/statisti

I know next to nothing about the US but France has 3 million unoccupied housings. https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7727384 https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7727384

deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
throwaway290 1y ago
How did that happen? People buy houses and then not live there like Canada? Or there is not enough people? Can I move to france and live for free pls
- ta32423hoi2h 1y ago
  Sure, if you don't mind living out in the sticks :P France has a big concentration of people around the big cities with a big empty diagonal in the middle of the country, form south-west to north-east (literally called 'la diagonale du vide'). Not only are you far from anything resembling a city, but infra for public & private transport are lacking. So if you can wfh and find a place with good 4g/5g coverage, and you won't miss social interactions, it can be great value. But as soon as you get closer to e.g. Paris or Lyon, things look very different.
  - throwaway290 1y ago
    Sounds about perfect where do I sign up.
    - ta32423hoi2h 1y ago
      There are lots of websites where you can search for rural housing in france, but it's quite fragmented so there is no real one-stop-shop where you can find everything. You can start here though: https://www.proprietes-rurales.com/ https://www.proprietes-rurales.com/ (I am not affiliated in any way with the website, was just the first one i found)
- JodieBenitez 1y ago
  You won't "live for free" as France has quite a high tax rate. But if you have any valuable skill and are open to the culture you can certainly live a good life there.
  - throwaway290 1y ago
    I just meant rent free obviously.
folbec 1y ago
Literally in the title of the article "... in areas of decreasing demographics ...". So yes if you are willing to live in areas : - without jobs, - without healthcare - in ghost towns
- JodieBenitez 1y ago
  I happen to live in a rural area. Rural France is not the third world. Small towns are very much alive. Healthcare is organized around "pôles de santé". Now about jobs... that's an interesting point and probably the most important. The society as whole should favor decentralizing work. There is no point in concentrating jobs around big cities.
  - fastball 1y ago
    The vast majority of jobs are not decentralized and will not be for the foreseeable future. You cannot be a steelworker or waiter or actor from a home office or location that doesn't have high in-person demand for those things. There are countless reasons jobs are (and should be) concentrated around big cities. You are lucky and speaking from a position of privilege if this is not something you worry about.
    - JodieBenitez 1y ago
      This is not about me and so-called privileges. You forget the large amount of jobs in farming, handiwork, healthcare, and so on. There are certainly ways to decentralize through policies.
      - fastball 1y ago
        I didn't forget about any jobs. Sure, some jobs can be less centralized. But you said "There is no point in concentrating jobs around big cities". This is wrong and I corrected you.

I know next to nothing about the US but France has 3 million unoccupied housings. https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7727384 https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7727384

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

throwaway290 1y ago

How did that happen? People buy houses and then not live there like Canada? Or there is not enough people? Can I move to france and live for free pls

ta32423hoi2h 1y ago
Sure, if you don't mind living out in the sticks :P France has a big concentration of people around the big cities with a big empty diagonal in the middle of the country, form south-west to north-east (literally called 'la diagonale du vide'). Not only are you far from anything resembling a city, but infra for public & private transport are lacking. So if you can wfh and find a place with good 4g/5g coverage, and you won't miss social interactions, it can be great value. But as soon as you get closer to e.g. Paris or Lyon, things look very different.
- throwaway290 1y ago
  Sounds about perfect where do I sign up.
  - ta32423hoi2h 1y ago
    There are lots of websites where you can search for rural housing in france, but it's quite fragmented so there is no real one-stop-shop where you can find everything. You can start here though: https://www.proprietes-rurales.com/ https://www.proprietes-rurales.com/ (I am not affiliated in any way with the website, was just the first one i found)
JodieBenitez 1y ago
You won't "live for free" as France has quite a high tax rate. But if you have any valuable skill and are open to the culture you can certainly live a good life there.
- throwaway290 1y ago
  I just meant rent free obviously.

folbec 1y ago

Literally in the title of the article "... in areas of decreasing demographics ...". So yes if you are willing to live in areas : - without jobs, - without healthcare - in ghost towns

JodieBenitez 1y ago
I happen to live in a rural area. Rural France is not the third world. Small towns are very much alive. Healthcare is organized around "pôles de santé". Now about jobs... that's an interesting point and probably the most important. The society as whole should favor decentralizing work. There is no point in concentrating jobs around big cities.
- fastball 1y ago
  The vast majority of jobs are not decentralized and will not be for the foreseeable future. You cannot be a steelworker or waiter or actor from a home office or location that doesn't have high in-person demand for those things. There are countless reasons jobs are (and should be) concentrated around big cities. You are lucky and speaking from a position of privilege if this is not something you worry about.
  - JodieBenitez 1y ago
    This is not about me and so-called privileges. You forget the large amount of jobs in farming, handiwork, healthcare, and so on. There are certainly ways to decentralize through policies.
    - fastball 1y ago
      I didn't forget about any jobs. Sure, some jobs can be less centralized. But you said "There is no point in concentrating jobs around big cities". This is wrong and I corrected you.