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Paris Rive Gauche

Left bank of the Seine, 13th Arrondissement, Paris, France

Paris Rive Gauche

Design process

The original intention was for Paris Rive Gauche to be a predominantly office location, acting as an eastern counterbalance to La Defense.  TAM TAM, a local community group, argued that the area should be seen within its strategic context, and very much part of the existing Parisian landscape.  To achieve this it was felt that a mixed-use scheme would be much more appropriate.

The site was designated as a Zone d'Aménagement Concertée (ZAC) or development zone in 1991, placing ultimate responsibility for the planning and delivery of the project with Paris City Council.  The City Council immediately commissioned the Société d'Économie Mixte et d'Aménagement de la Ville de Paris (SEMAPA) to co-ordinate and develop a framework for the project.  SEMAPA is a not-for-profit organisation that operates in the private sector, though its shareholders are public.  The organisation has three main functions: to sell land to the private sector; to undertake research and analysis; and to deliver the scheme's infrastructure.  SEMAPA oversees a €3 billion budget.  Spending is divided between land development (47%), infrastructure works (30%) and development studies (20%).

SEMAPA's Executive Board includes Paris City Council as the main partner, the SNCF as the main landowner, the Régie Immobilière de la Ville de Paris (RIVP), French National Government, Regional Council of Ile-de-France and various private partners.  SEMAPA is a small company of 60 staff and is able to be more efficient and flexible than the Council on a project of this nature. The mayor of the 13th arrondissement, Serge Blisko, has presided over SEMAPA since 2001, and has overseen much of the development on site.  

Achievements


The project has successfully created an urban and social mix which provides both social and student housing, as well as homes for private sale.  Links with the surrounding districts have been improved, and the development has been well integrated with its surrounds.  Once complete, the new Universite Paris 7-Denis-Diderot buildings will reinforce the functions of the university and better integrate it into the city, particularly through links with the Bibliothèque Nationale.  Walking and cycling has been greatly encouraged in and around Paris Rive Gauche, through the provision of new cycle paths and pedestrian footpaths.  Public transport has been well integrated from the beginning, particularly through the metro and RER stations.  The provision of green space is integral to the design, and will be reinforced when the University Park is completed.

In addition, significant effort was made to ensure a diversity of architecture across the site.  To achieve this, the three quarters were sub-divided into districts, and competitions were held to appoint an overall architect for each district.  Those appointed were required to prepare a sub-masterplan for each quarter, including details of building footprints, design of public spaces, design guidelines for each building, the relationship between buildings and some specific advice on materials. .  Co-ordinating architects were also appointed for two of the development's major roads - Avenue de France and Rue du Chevaleret (both of which dissect the Tolbiac quarter) and an additional quarter of Tolbiac-Chevaleret.  Individual developers for the development plots within the sub-masterplan areas were then selected through a competitive process.  SEMAPA has a clear policy commitment to undertaking thorough consultation with the local community.  The consultation programmes have grown in size as the project has progressed, with a permanent consultation committee created as a result of a condition of the 1997 development plan, which is extremely effective.

Processes


The SEMAPA team includes officers responsible for managing the technical and legal aspects of the urban development area, as well as maintaining contact with residents and local associations.  SEMAPA oversees the construction of some of the facilities, particularly in public areas, while co-ordinating the entire project.  It is also responsible for acquiring land within the ZAC for development.  The individual developer buys the building rights at a price indexed to average selling prices.  The developer then selects an architect to design a building which conforms to the specifications set by SEMAPA and the co-ordinating architect.  SEMAPA has overall project management responsibility, and aims to minimise the time between inception and completion for each phase of development.

Development of the site was made easier by the fact that there were relatively few existing buildings on the site due to the dominance of railway tracks and sidings.  Roland Schweitzer coordinated the development of the Tolbiac quarter, which was the first of the quarters to be instigated, with constriction of the National Library and the emergence of proposals for flats along the riverside.  In 1993, the redevelopment framework plan for the Paris Rive Gauche was approved by the Government.  Following the approval of the plan, construction began on the first residential blocks on either side of the National Library.  This quarter was completed in 1998. 

An environmental charter was created as part of the scheme, which includes all phases of the Paris Rive Gauche project - design, planning, construction and follow-up for the new districts.  It clearly states SEMAPA's environmental commitments in the areas of water, waste removal, soil and sub-soil, energy, noise, transportation, the urban landscape and management.  SEMAPA was the first urban development company in France to gained ISO 14001 accreditation for Paris Rive Gauche in 2000. 

SEMAPA coordinates the development of Paris Rive Gauche section by section by anticipating the needs of future residents in order to provide them with all the necessary daily life amenities.  Thus, the first neighbourhood built around the Bibliothèque Nationale de France already had a nursery, school, two 'gardens', shops, and a public car park when the first residents arrived.  The arrival of five new businesses/employers also served to increase the offer of shops and restaurants in the surrounding area.  The two main roads are seen as Rue du Chevaleret and Avenue de France, and so contain the majority of the retail offer, although neither could be seen as 'designated' shopping districts.