Nantes - act2

The decline of industry since the 1970s and the closure of its last shipyard in 1987 have given rise to the need for a major urban renewal project on the Ile de Nantes, the central district of the Nantes urban area and home to 15,500 people. The Nantes community has embraced this challenge since the early 1990s by building a modern, sustainable city on the island while respecting the originality of the landscape and the industrial heritage of the city.

Protecting the biodiversity of the island is a major concern, which is why extensive vegetation is being planted along the riverbanks and streets and in public squares and gardens. To improve the quality of life of the city’s inhabitants, 150,000 m² of community infrastructure as well as 160 hectares of public space have been created or rehabilitated. Preference has been given to pedestrian and bicycle traffic by, for example, building 12km of new pathways along the Loire. The project's ambition is to combine quality of life and business opportunities on a European scale, as shown by the planned European business park to be built on the island. And although Nantes has successfully made an effort to retain its strong industrial tradition, there is no doubt that it is also moving towards the new knowledge and service sectors.

Natural resources are being preserved by implementing water management schemes featuring rainwater recovery systems, roof gardens and water self-sufficient public spaces, cutting power consumption and developing renewable energy systems such as photovoltaic power plants and district heating networks. The use of these systems, as well as solar thermal installations, wood boilers and energy-efficient heat pumps are all part of the CONCERTO-act2 project. One of the biggest PV power plants in urban France (180 kWp) was installed in 2009 on the car-park of the newly-refurbished and extended Beaulieu shopping centre. More significantly, since its start in 2006, the CONCERTO-act2 project has already brought about an improvement in energy standards on the island by, for example, implementing energy efficiency measures in both tertiary and residential projects accounting for an equivalent area of more than 80,000 m². Energy prescriptions are set above regulation for all new constructions, anticipating in many cases the future enforcement of the ‘BBC’ standard (‘BBC’ stands for ‘Low Consumption Building’), and a technical dialogue is systematically led between energy experts of the building developers and SAMOA, the semi-public company in charge of the Ile de Nantes development.

As a 350 ha area of urban renewal, the Ile de Nantes has shown the world that it is possible to mix sustainable energy use and major real estate and public space redevelopments. In short, this is a genuine city centre development plan anchored in the 21st century with an outward looking approach, serving both Nantes residents and those from further afield.