Interview with Catherine Beylau, Director of Development at the Société d'économie mixte d'aménagement de Paris (SEMAPA)

What are the guiding principles behind the development of Paris Rive Gauche?
Catherine Beylau - The idea was to add contemporary districts to the inner city of Paris. The idea was not to try and create a new city in an old city, but rather to build contemporary neighbourhoods using the tools of the Paris of yesteryear: streets that run alongside buildings, in a controlled public space, with a mix of functions and a preference for a "new Paris". "squares policy in terms of green spaces. More generally, since the 90s there has been a real desire on the part of the public authorities to rebalance the development of Paris, not to shift everything westwards. It takes twenty years to design and develop an urban programme like this, and today Paris Rive Gauche is the symbol of this major rebalancing towards the east of Paris, just as Plaine Saint-Denis is for the north of the capital.

What attracts businesses to Paris Rive Gauche?
C. B. - Firstly, the ease of transport, with line 14 reaching La Madeleine in a quarter of an hour, excellent bus links and, soon, the arrival of the tramway and the extension of line 10. What's more, companies can find offices here that meet contemporary standards, in state-of-the-art buildings, which is rarely the case in Paris. Rents are slightly lower, at around 510 - 530 euros per m2. But above all, the "profitability We can accommodate more people in better conditions in a smaller space than in a refurbished Haussmann building. What's more, the environment is pleasant. I think the companies are quite happy to be here. There's a lot of talk about the Bruneseau district, for which permission has been granted to build new towers*.

What will this new district look like?
C. B. - Housing is planned along the Boulevard des Maréchaux, with shops at the foot of the building and professional premises on the first floor to act as a buffer between the two. And then there are the four areas earmarked for the construction of high-rise buildings, which will be used exclusively for offices and hotels. Marketing has just begun; I hope to have the project ready for the next MIPIM (editor's note: March 2012). And we should see the first cranes arrive in 2014. Catherine Beylau, Director of Development at the Société d'économie mixte d'aménagement de Paris (SEMAPA)

(* Up to 50 metres for residential buildings; up to 180 metres for commercial buildings).