After a decade of development, Paris' first EcoDistrict launched this year. Built in place of a disused train station, the district features offices, housing, and amenities built around clean and green principles.
Paris' new EcoDistrict is a focal point in the city for sustainable infrastructure and design. "It includes clean transportation, rainwater collection machines, sustainable materials and efficient thermal insulation."
The project stands on the site of the former Rungis Train Station in the 13th arrondissement. According to a piece in The Global Grid by Iva Boishin, "The new Parisian district was inaugurated on May 30, 2015 by Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris. Built on the old train station, bordering the little belt railway, on 4 hectares (9.9 acres); it was designed following sustainable development principles."
"'The design of the district, coordinated by the architect Bruno Fortier, is based on the concept of open blocks which allow light to enter, unlike Haussmann urban forms where only the facades facing the street are accessible from the public space' specifies Jean-Francois Gueullette." Gueullette is current director of SEMAPA, the Parisian public development entity that spearheaded the project to the tune of 83 million Euros.
FULL STORY: Paris, France's First EcoDistrict Launched at the Old Rungis Train Station
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
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Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research