REPORT. "The living room is very bright": One year after the Paris Olympics, the Olympic villages are moving in.

After housing journalists and volunteers, the accommodation in the Dugny media village is now welcoming its first residents, while the Olympic village in Saint-Denis continues its transformation.

The Paris Olympic Games concluded on August 11, 2024. Athletes, volunteers, and journalists were leaving their specially built homes . While some apartments are still being renovated, others are already occupied. Two months ago, Kevin moved to Dugny, in Seine-Saint-Denis, into a 40 ^m² apartment in the former media village. "We're not overlooked ," Kevin describes, "so we really have a clear view of La Courneuve Park. The living room is very bright."

The thirty-year-old bought the apartment just before the 2024 Olympic Games. But during that time, he had to lend it to journalists. "In the purchase contract, there was a clause that basically said we were committed to making our homes available for the Games ," the owner explains. "It's quite nice to have been part of the event in a way."

Of the 900 homes in the media village, almost all have been sold, either to individuals or social landlords. For now, the neighborhood is quiet. Not all residents have moved in yet, but their presence has already led to a reduction in local taxes. "The arrival of new owners now allows us to use this tax lever ," explains Quentin Gesell, mayor of Dugny. " A lever that is moving downwards, since we managed to reduce them by 4.22% this year. And the goal will ultimately be to be able to offer a further reduction in the years to come.

Still in Seine-Saint-Denis, in Saint-Denis, the former athletes' village has 2,800 homes. Redevelopment work is still underway . The first residents will therefore not arrive until the end of August. These homes have in fact been put on sale later, from December 2023, explains Henri Specht, director of developments at Solideo, the company delivering the Olympic works. "According to the latest information we have from developers, in the athletes' village, we are at about 60% of the homes that were put on the market sold ," he explains. "Today, the developers seem satisfied."

Given these figures, Solideo anticipates the rapid sale of the remaining housing units created for the Games.