DOSSIER - Major French cities: business districts that are great places to live

Smart city, eco-city, responsible business districts... As in the 60s and 70s, it is no longer a question of creating soulless concrete pedestals where the individual is caught up, absorbed by the minerality and anonymity of a system designed for car traffic. Today, they all have a mixed vocation, with lungs of greenery and promenades to boot. While La Défense, by far the largest business district in France, is committed to bringing life to its long-standing all-business horizon, the major cities of France are also thinking about or rethinking office life. Lyon Part-Dieu, France's second-largest business district, is both developing and regenerating, while Euralille, in third place, is constantly reinventing its existing structures. Following the model of these two districts located around major high-speed train stations, other towns are playing on the connectivity offered to mobile executives by these major business hubs to create business centres with strong ambitions. Particularly as these locations often offer unused space or space in need of renovation. This is the case with Euratlantique in Bordeaux and Euronantes, and the Toulouse-Sud-Ouest business district, near Matabiau station. The only exceptions to this rail-based dynamic are Strasbourg, with its new Archipel district flourishing close to the European institutions, and Marseille, which has revamped its dilapidated docks to make Euroméditerranée a real success. These new-generation business districts share common paths, combining offices with cultural venues, shops and housing. This mixed-use approach is accompanied by a sustainable approach, resulting in more efficient buildings. One thing is certain: wherever they are, these districts aim to be laboratories for the city of the future, connected, intelligent... and green. So there's every reason to be optimistic.