Abstract Social mix is a key component of French urban restructuring policies. In France, as in many other Western countries, the arrival of the population attracted by new housing developments is seen as a vector for social diversity. Public authorities frequently declare that mixing would promote liveability and social interaction between different groups. But this outcome is refuted or qualified by many empirical studies. This paper explores how newcomers in new private housing developments experience their new neighbourhood based on qualitative interviews at three study sites in France. The research underlines how social interaction is influenced both by residential trajectories, leading to more or less familiarity and social distance with the neighbourhood, and spatial configurations, leading to various opportunities for social contact in public spaces.