Report and photos by Florian Guillemin.
Last year, theNantes Atlantique airport recorded the strongest growth in passenger traffic at national level (+14.9%). Moreover, since the abandonment of the Notre-Dame des Landes project, the airlines from all over Europe are battling it out for a piece of tarmac, a small slot, on the Nantes hub. This new international dimension is part of a dynamic process of profound transformation. For, despite the calm and easy-going atmosphere that prevails in the city, Nantes is carrying out a number of large-scale urban projects at the same time.
To the south, theÎle de Nantes is world-renowned for its MachinesIn a completely different vein, it's here too that the new On a completely different note, this is also where the new courthousedesigned by Jean Nouvel, took up residence on the island in the early 2000s. More recently, the island has seen the development of the Quartier de la création, as Nantes imagines the city of tomorrow through the "île de Nantes - expérimentations" programme.
To the north, the "YelloPark" project includes the construction of a new stadium and the development of an urban hub with a business component. Last but not least, the new Euronantes business district is taking shape behind the station. All that remains to be done now is to breathe a soul and a sense of neighbourhood life into these still too studious office buildings. The professionals who converge here are beginning to make the area their own...
In other words, the construction sector is booming! But it's not the only one. Nantes is not just a place for building, but also for brainstorming. Over the years, the city has established itself as a leading centre for innovation, a veritable start-up destination. The quality of life attracts foreign investors and, above all, home-grown talent emerges every day, perpetuating the creative, innovative tradition embodied by a certain Jules Verne, who was born in the City of Dukes 190 years ago.
GETTING THERELike Bordeauxbut a few years ahead of schedule, the Nantes metropolitan area has taken advantage of theLGV effect Paris Montparnasse station can be reached by train in just two hours. As for air services, they have never offered so many possibilities to business travellers. This is illustrated by the launch in October of a flight Nantes-Lyonthe first domestic service offered by Aigle Azur, and theinstallation of a easyJet base next spring. In total, Nantes Atlantique is linked to some twenty French airports and almost 70 European hubs. As the current momentum is giving Nantes officials wings, there has even been talk recently of a direct service to New York. Especially since, since October, the airport has been classified in category A, i.e. grouping together those "intended for long-distance services normally provided in all circumstances". |
An American in Nantes"Why I, an American start-up, am setting up an accelerator in Nantes": through this tribune published in 2017 on his Linkedin page, Rob Spiro declares his love for his adopted city. For the founder of Imagination Machine, "Nantes is, surprisingly, an excellent location for technology companies. (...) 20,000 people work in the technology industry and there are colleges of engineering, design and business. It's a great place to build your team.." Rob Spiro added: "Nantes is a great city for start-ups, because it's so normal. If you design something that works in Nantes, it will work in hundreds of cities all over the world. The same is not true for San FranciscoLondon or Paris." |
