I have chosen Lille, a large city located in the North of France. Lille is a symbol of the industrialization of many European cities in the 18th and 19th centuries. Indeed, Lille was an important center of textile manufacturing industry. In the 19th century, Lille was the second largest textile region in the world after Manchester. The industrialization created wealth, but it also had bad consequences for the urban landscape. In the 20th century, the textile industries began to have some difficulties because of recession, which created unemployment among the labour force. The city of Lille began to decline and became less dynamic. However, since the 1990s, local and national actors became aware of the necessity of an urban renewal in Lille and in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. Today, Lille metropolis accounts for 1,100,000 inhabitants and is located in the heart of the European economic metropolis. It is a transborder region.
[...] Today, Lille metropolis accounts for inhabitants[2] and is located in the heart of the European economic metropolis. It is a transborder region. Some questions can be asked to begin this paper: what are the general issues of the urban renewal? What are the specific issues in Lille? How does the context matter? When did the consciousness of the necessity of an urban renewal begin? How does it take place in Lille? What are the means employed? [...]
[...] Furthermore, the aim of the urban renewal politics in Lille is to enhance the economic power of the city. For instance, in order to restructure the economy after the deindustrialization, some mail order business companies[8] such as La Redoute settled. Moreover, there were recent developments in high tech and tertiary industries. In general, this economic regeneration took place especially in the area called Euralille (between Lille's city-center and the suburbs) and framed the economic management of the urban area. Although not being in the historical city-center, Euralille is right in the city; that is why it is a key area in the economic development of this transborder region. [...]
[...] Moreover, considerations of sustainable development are very prominent, especially in Lille, because people know the past repercussion of the industrialization on the territory[12]. Bibliography -COUCH Chris, Urban renewal, Theory and practices Macmillan -COUCH Chris, FRASER Charles, PERCY Susan, Urban regeneration in Europe Blackwell (Chapter Lille, from textile giant to tertiary turbine) -DEMOTIE Agnès, Lille métropole, pour un renouvellement urbain durable, Université de Lausanne, Colloque 2006 -GROUX Annette, Lille-métropole Communauté urbaine, Aménagement et renouvellement urbain, Comment concilier reconversion des friches et attractivité urbaine dans une perspective de développement durable Avril 2007 - Commission of the European communities, Urban regeneration and industrial change -Fédération nationale des agences d'urbanisme, Ministère de l'équipement, du transport et des logements, Vive la Ville, les enjeux du renouvellement urbain, Novembre 1999 -Institut d'aménagement et d'urbanisme de la région Ile-de-France, Les enjeux du renouvellement urbain, Février 2004 COUCH Chris, FRASER Charles, PERCY Susan, Urban regeneration in Europe Blackwell, p. [...]
[...] That is why some partnerships between cities, regions and private entrepreneurs were built. The “Agence d'urbanisme de Lille- métropole” is a key actor and a good example of urban renewal at the scale of a metropolis, as cooperation between French and Belgian actors[4]. Moreover, interconnected public actions are the solution in a centralized country such as France where the State is powerful. Indeed, Pierre Mauroy was Prime Minister (1981-1984) and Mayor of Lille (1973-2001), so he was able to launch many renewal projects in the North of France region. [...]
[...] The main dynamic is the transformation of the industrial heritage into an architectural asset. The process is to select key buildings and streets for public investment, and to give assistance to the private sector to renovate property[7]. The aim is to restore business confidence and to encourage the settlement of a varied population. For instance, the Grand Place in Lille (my photograph) is surrounded by Flemish-style buildings which were renovated and restored in order to revitalize the area and to preserve this historic and typical architecture. [...]
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