Ile de Nantes, Building a City for Everyone

On the Ile de Nantes, the urban renewal project is building the city of tomorrow, featuring housing, businesses, higher education, major infrastructure, and cultural and recreational facilities. It is designed for all types of communities, from low income to wealthy, from young people to the elderly.

An Enjoyable Community

The redevelopment and creation of public spaces is the cornerstone of the project. Around these public plazas, squares and gardens, along the Loire river banks, community life can flourish. The public space is shared differently, with narrower streets, broad sidewalks and many bike lanes and paths. Preference is given to pedestrian and bicycle traffic along the Loire quaysides and the newly created streets and plazas. Two major public transportation lines will serve the area, Busway line 4 from north to south, and the future line 5 for east-west travel.

To build more diversity, the housing developments feature a varied, superior quality offering with something for everyone. Options include home ownership programs, social rent housing (25% in new developments) as well as university residences and young workers foyers. To meet the needs of the new residents, new public infrastructure is being built, such as day care centres, schools and cultural facilities.  In addition, local stores and shops are opening.

Although the Ile de Nantes still has a strong industrial tradition, with the wholesale market and Alstom, it is also moving towards new service and knowledge sectors. In the next 20 years, some 300,000 sq. m of commercial space will be built, promoting the development of a knowledge-driven economy.
Culture and tourism are key elements of the urban renewal project, with events such as Estuaire, Rencontres du fleuve, Ile était une fois, Ecosolies, as well as new facilities, including the rehabilitated Loire warehouses, the Machine Gallery, and the Banana Hangar. These cultural events and gathering places are attracting ever-greater number of people to the Loire quaysides.