Lyon Part-Dieu: ambitious prospects

France's leading business hub after La Défense, the Lyon Part-Dieu business district is entering the 21st century.^e century and was transformed into a place of experimentation for the city of the future. A responsible smart city where quality of life will be enhanced by public spaces, including the planting of 600 trees, and priority given to pedestrians. Split in two by an expressway typical of the era when the car was all-powerful and organised around one of the world's most important railway stations Lyon Part-Dieu is in the process of reinventing itself. Historically centred on banking, administrative and insurance activities, over the last decade the district has begun to welcome more innovative companies, for example in the engineering, energy and urban infrastructure sectors.

Excellent economic health

With 1.15 million m² of office space in 2018, representing 30 % of the city's office space supply, Lyon Part-Dieu is showing excellent economic health, while at the same time being in good shape. reassuring stability for investors. "At present, the main urban development project in the area is centred around the station. The aim is to add a new platform, reconfigure access to the station and restructure the services and shops around it."explains Michel Le Faou, Vice-Chairman of the Lyon Metropolitan Authority. The work will be completed in 2023. "The public spaces around the station will also be redesigned, in particular with the introduction of a new, more comfortable urban flooring concept".continues Michel Le Faou.

The well-being of pedestrians is also at the heart of the concerns of Dutch architect Winy Maas, who was commissioned to redesign the large shopping centre on the other side of the old expressway. "This purely private project will expand and reorganise the shopping centre. Unlike its initial design, which was typical of the 70s and aimed to 'trap' shoppers inside, the current design will make it a 'shopping centre'. an attractive location which will no longer constitute a physical barrier between the quays of the Rhône and the station. It will be easy to 'trabouler'."says Michel Le Faou, with a touch of Lyonnais humour. In addition, the shopping centre's roof will be transformed into a green space open to the public from summer 2020.

Like other business centres currently under construction in France, Lyon Part-Dieu aims to increase the surface area devoted to the tertiary sector, but also has a mixed-use objective.

Among other projects, the To-Lyon tower, a skyscraper over 170 m high whose construction began this year, will offer 70,000 m² new offices including EDF and Apicil, as well as a four-star hotel and numerous coworking spaces. Signed Dominique Perraultthis future architectural landmark shows just how much Lyon intends to distinguish itself on a national and European level. Arte Charpentier designed the Oxygène tower in 2010, one of the first projects in the redevelopment of the district, and is currently working on the Silex2 tower.

Like many other business centres currently being built in France, Lyon Part-Dieu also has a diversity objective. 2,000 homes, crèches and new schools are due to be built, as well as a multiplex cinema and a number of restaurants, bringing a new vibrancy to an area that was once considered to be of little interest.

There are around 60,000 jobs at Lyon-Part Dieu, and it is hoped that this figure will rise to 77,000 by 2030. A healthy growth for the city, which has also developed other centres of attraction, such as Gerland for the life sciences and the La Confluence eco-neighbourhood, home to companies such as Euronews and GL Events.