Every design for Vitry-Sur-Seine

Vitry-sur-Seine runs along the left bank of the Seine in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, with Ivry-sur-Seine to the north, Choisy-le-Roi and Thiais to the south and Villejuif to the west. Its days follow the rhythm of RER line C, which stops at Vitry-sur-Seine and Les Ardoines, and of a town made of three distinct parts: a centre of housing estates, quieter middle-class neighbourhoods on the edges and a broad industrial strip along the river.

What sets Vitry apart is how much art it puts within everyday reach. A long-standing policy of art for all has scattered contemporary sculptures across the town, many of them in its schools, and the Musée d'Art Contemporain du Val-de-Marne on Place de la Libération adds workshops, an auditorium and a cinema for experimental film. Vitry also helped shape the hip hop movement in France, and urban art is part of the scenery. The Exploradôme is here too, and the Fort d'Ivry watches over the northern edge of town.

If you grew up between the river and the plateau, waiting for the RER C or passing a sculpture on the way to school, Vitry is a map you already know by heart.