Euralille , France

Project Partner + “Societe d'economie mixte” Numbers: including both public and private partners with strong Start of Project promotion initiative by then 1986 Mayor Pierre Mauroy. Size (total) 110 ha Size Gare TGV Lille Project Components Europe New Gare TGV Lille Europe 400 x 15 m train station Tour Credit Lyonnai and Cost of infrastructure for Tour WTC towers on top of rerouting TGV station FF 800,000,000 Grand Palais (congress, (app. € 122,000,000 exhibition, and major con- Cost Lille Grand Palais cert hall) FF 430,000,000 Triangle des Gares (shops, (app. € 66,000,000) offices, apartments, and a Completion Lille Grand theater) Palais Espace le Corbusier 1994 New park

Sources: Google Earth 2009; www.d-a.fr; en.nai.nl; Meade 1994.

On the crossroads of Europe + When France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Villeneuve d'Ascq area and its neighbor- Resources: and Germany originally decided to ing communities in Belgium started under jointly develop the North European Train the leadership of Lille Mayor Mauroy an Official website a Grande Vitesse (TGV) network in 1987, extensive lobbying campaign for Eu- www.saem-euralille.fr the – TGV line was sup- ralille. www.euralille.com posed to bypass Lille with a junction sta- In 1987, the city was able to secure the tion serving the Channel Tunnel on the Development plan location for the TGV interchange station 1996http://en.nai.nl/collection outskirts of the city. Yet, local and re- and appointed as master __research/archives__collecti gional authorities believed that an inner- planner and chief architect in 1988. ons/ready_to_use/detailready city TGV station could stimulate the re- /_rp_left1_elementId/1_10292 Moreover, the Euralille “Societe d'econo- generation of Lille as old-industrial city. 1 mie mixte” was set up in 1990 comprised Project description This vision was further stimulated by of both public and private sector interests Croisé, Espace and Menu, French laws passed in the early 1980s to realize the project. Isabelle (eds.) 1996 Euralille: that promoted decentralized decision- The Making of a New City Cen- Essentially, the successful bit for the making and redefined the role of state tre: Koolhaas, Nouvel, Portzam- Euro-TGV and its station was seen as an parc, Vasconi, Duthilleul. Basel: and local authorities, empowering the important precondition for the develop- Birkhäuser. latter with new responsibilities on the ur- ment of a new city district that would re- ban level. Moreover, the original Franco- Meade, Martin 1994 “Euralille: verse decades of economic decline in the the instant city” Architectural British agreement to built the Channel region and revive Lille’s traditional role Review. December 2004. Tunnel was concluded and signed in the as a European center of exchange and Critical analysis Lille town hall in 1986 where former communication. Moulaert, Frank; Salin, Elodie Mayor Pierre Mauroy received President and Werquin, Thomas 2001 Mitterrand and Prime Minister Thatcher Euraville became an area made up of “Euralille. Large-scale urban development and social po- granting the mayor even more influence several large-scale structures including larization.” European Urban in the planned development. the Triangle des Gares (shops, offices, and Regional Studies. 8(2): apartments, and a theater), the TGV sta- As an ideal site already existed – Lille’s 145–160 tion (with its two towers Tour Credit central station close to the old town and Newman, Peter and Thornley, Lyonnai and the Tour WTC), the Espace the Grande Place flanked a stretch of un- Andy 1005 “Euralille: ‘Booster- le Corbusier, a new park, and the Grand ism’ At the Centre of Europe.” developed land in military ownership of Palais (congress, exhibition, and major European Urban and Regional which 70 hectare could readily be made concert hall). Studies 2(3): 237-246. available – local and regional representa- tives of the Lille-Roubaix-Tourcoing-

This project profile was developed by the German Research Foundation (DFG) Emmy Noether Research Project on “The Urban Renaissance Potential of Inner-City Rail Station Redevelopment Mega-Projects.” For additional information on the project: http://megaprojects.metropolitanstudies.de