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Grand Paris Express
Paris, France

Grand Paris Express

Paris, France
  • infrastructure

The Grand Paris Express is a largest transformative urban design project in Europe, involving 68 new stations, 200 kilometers of additional tracks, and extensions of existing metro lines. Its ambitious scope includes four new lines encircling the capital, fostering connectivity with Paris's airports, burgeoning neighborhoods, business hubs, and research clusters, serving a staggering population of over 100 municipalities, 165,000 companies, and facilitating daily transportation for two million commuters. The project's overarching goals transcend mere infrastructural expansion. It seeks to rectify the Paris monocentric model by fostering an open-minded design for urban mass transportation. A core objective is to prioritize sustainable mobility, reducing reliance on private vehicles and mitigating the carbon footprint of the megalopolis. As a large-scale enterprise, the Grand Paris Express aims to enhance mobility patterns, making Paris more sustainable by establishing rapid, nonpolluting connections between existing outskirts and emerging developments, thereby generating new centralities within the knowledge-based economy. The infrastructure layout is thoughtfully designed, featuring a distinctive external double loop that partially overlaps the city center to facilitate connections between external sectors without traversing the central area. Architectural projects affiliated with the Grand Paris Express are characterized by their autonomy, executed through collaborations among architects, designers, and artists. Individual sites address the specific conditions of each stakeholder, and every sector commits to participatory processes, ensuring community involvement in matters of social inclusion and programming aspirations. All projects adhere to an overarching brief and principles, incorporating considerations for public plazas and future programs at each location. The overall organization of urban projects follows well-defined steps to ensure goals are met on a realistic timeline. Anticipated to make significant contributions to the suburbs of Paris, known as "banlieue" zones, the Grand Paris Express aims to provide space for new housing programs and economic initiatives. Environmental consciousness is embedded in the construction process, promoting biodiversity and seamlessly integrating sites into the built landscape. Noteworthy practices include the recycling of soil extracted during tunneling and the use of low-carbon concrete to minimize building emissions. Fueled by a commitment to experimentation, the Grand Paris Express exemplifies constant negotiation among city officials, motivated designers, and mobilized citizens. The project also stands as an educational beacon for other cities, showcasing innovative pathways for implementation. In its dedication to innovation and sustainability, the Grand Paris Express establishes a new standard in the realms of urban design and the construction of a sustainable territory.

Project Leads

  • Société du Grand Paris

Organizations

  • Société du Grand Paris
  • Consortium of Altsom and Colas Rail
  • Consortium of Colas Rail and Eiffage Energie Systemes
  • Alstom
  • Systra
  • Agence Nicolas Michelin & Associes
  • Agence Richez Associes
  • Valode and Pistre Architectes
  • Atelier d’Architecture Kin Kon
  • Ferrovial
  • Vinci Constructions
  • Thales
  • SPIE CityNetworks
  • Consortium of Webuild and Nouvelles Generations d’Entrepreneurs
  • Artemis Consortium of Artelia, Arcadis and BG Ingenieurs Conseils
  • Consortium of Setec and Ingerop
  • Philippe Gazeau
  • Ar.Thème Associes
  • Atelier Barani
  • Peripheriques Architectes
  • Brunet Saunier Architecture
  • Agence Duthilleul
  • Consortium of Egis and Setec
  • Egis Led Consortia
  • Elizabeth & Christian de Portzamparc
  • Miralles Tagliabue and Bordas + Peiro
  • SNC-Lavalin
  • Arcadis
  • The ICARE consortium
  • TREVI
  • Amberg Engineering
  • Implenia
  • GESTE Engineering
  • CRH Europe
  • ENGIE Solutions
  • Sweco
  • Kone
  • Portalp
  • Atelier Novembre
  • Benthem Crowel Architects
  • Keolis
  • RATP
  • ORA consortium of RATP Dev, ComfortDelGro and Alstom
  • Transdev Group and Strides International Business
  • Île-de-France Mobilités
  • Mapei
  • BIG
  • Kengo Kuma & Associates
  • Silvio d'Ascia
  • Dominique Perrault

Stages

  • Construction

Site

The project is built in Île-de-France region of France, which stands as the most populous among the eighteen regions of France, boasting an estimated official population of 12,271,794 residents as of January 1, 2023. Positioned in the north-central part of France and centered around the capital city Paris, it is often referred to as the Paris Region (French: Région parisienne). Despite covering merely 2% of the metropolitan French territory at 12,012 square kilometers (4,638 square miles), Île-de-France is densely populated and holds a prominent economic role nationally. In 2017, its population accounted for almost one-fifth of the national total. Comprising eight administrative departments—Paris, Essonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Seine-et-Marne, Val-de-Marne, Val-d'Oise, and Yvelines—the region was initially established as the "District of the Paris Region" in 1961. In 1976, its status was aligned with the administrative regions created in 1972, leading to its renaming after the historic province of Île-de-France. Residents are colloquially known as Franciliens, a term coined in the 1980s. The region's GDP in 2019 amounted to nearly one-third of France's and 5% of the European Union's, boasting the highest per capita GDP among French regions and the third-highest in the European Union. While Île-de-France extends beyond the city limits of Paris, hosting significant historic sites such as the palaces of Versailles and Fontainebleau, as well as the most-visited tourist attraction in France—Disneyland Paris, it faces socioeconomic challenges. Despite its status as the wealthiest French region, a notable portion of its residents experience poverty, with an official poverty rate of 15.9% in 2015. The region has witnessed a surge in income inequality in recent decades, and escalating housing prices have compelled less affluent individuals to reside outside the city of Paris.

Typology

Infrastructure, transportation

Land use type

Mixed Use

Size

200 km

Community Infrastructure

  • physical mobility

Timeline

2010

People

Awards

Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design

12/13/2022

Media

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