Living in one place also implies mobility. This hypothesis was developed over 15 years’experience accompanying the underprivileged in housing issues and lies at the basis ofthe present study, which examines the effects, obstacles and levers involved in restrictedresidential mobility in residential neighborhoods of the National Agency for Urban Renewal(Agence Nationale de Rénovation Urbaine – ANRU) in Angers and Trélazé (France). Lookingat our results in the light of contextual mobility, the close relationship between man andnature becomes apparent. Indeed, the cognitive process connecting mobility and residencecan only take place within a reassuring and calming environment. On the other hand, livingin degraded, depreciated social housing clearly hinders this process. The present study onforced relocation thus demonstrates the need for combining urban planning, social andenvironmental approaches in policymaking.