UTOPIES is helping Paris La Défense to define its purpose, a strategic direction capable of supporting the long-term ecological transformation of the area, and to develop the role of the public institution by reviewing its skills and organisation.
An emblematic district and spearhead of the French economy, La Défense remains a destination of choice for major companies. However, this attractiveness no longer guarantees that the district’s orientations are in line with the aspirations of a wider part of society and the economic world: the effects of climate change, the emergence of new economic sectors and changes in ways of working are changes in society that are having a profound impact on the Établissement’s activity.
As both developer and manager, Paris La Défense now has a duty to fight a battle that places the district once again at the forefront of society, and to propose a vision that is ‘worthy’ of its towers.
In this way, the purpose lays the foundations for a new narrative and a new imaginary future for the district, not just in terms of planning, but also in terms of lifestyles and community dynamics.
The approach consisted of :
In October 2021, Paris La Défense publicly communicated its purpose, committing itself to experimenting and making possible new ways of living, working and building the city – and thus becoming the first post-carbon business district in the world.
This purpose is reflected first and foremost in the cross-cutting commitment to halve the area’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030, thereby anticipating the national target of reducing GHG emissions by 40% by 2030.
In 2022, PLD will publish an associated action plan based on four pillars:
The first publicly announced commitments include:
