IGU Regional Conference Tel Aviv 2010
Critical Analysis of the Flagship Urban Projects
(Analyse Critique des “Flagship Projects” Urbains)
Auteur: José Ignacio VILA VÁZQUEZ
e-mail: jivilavazquez@gmail.com
Université Paris 1: Panthéon-Sorbonne (France)
Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (Spain)
INTRODUCTION
GLOBAL OBJECTIVES (RESEARCH)
1-Evaluation of territorial impacts of the flagship urban projects (aspects: economic /
social / image / physic)
2-Proposition of urban planning and strategic alternatives
OBJECTIFS OF THIS PAPER
-Assessment of territorial impacts in Paris:
Critic analysis ―grands projets parisiens‖ after 1980: BNF F. Mitterrand
-Presentation: other flagship urban projects
(for further comparison and test of general hypothesis)
PLAN OF THE PAPER:
-Definition of the flagship urban projects, hypothesis and methodology for an critic
analysis
-‖Grands Projets‖ in Paris (1980 – 2008)
-Case of the BNF F. Mitterrand
-Other flagship projects: in Spain and in Portugal
-Conclusions
DEFINITION OF FLAGSHIP URBAN PROJECT
-Piece or group of urban pieces (and their specific process of theoretical
conception)
-Symbolic of monumentality
-Attractive image
-Strategy of urban and territorial marketing
-Symbol and catalytic role of a process of urban regeneration:
Flagship projects are property developments in prestigious and significant sols.
This projects play a catalytic role of a urban regeneration process and the
transformation of the image of a city.
-Different scales: from building to urban project
-Different terms: ―Projets Phares‖ or ―Projets Emblématiques‖, « Grands Projets »,
« Grands Travaux », Mega Projects.
Also: Iconic Buildings
INITIAL HYPOTHESIS
•The flagship urban projects produce a morphological and image transformation of the
place. They promote processes of gentrification and urban regeneration.
•The main objective indicated by politicians was the offer of a high level cultural service and
public spaces of high quality. However, the origin of this projects competitiveness between
cities who belong to a urban network of a same hierarchical level. The prime objective was
the attraction or production of capital.
•Their localisation was either in a symbolic central place of the city or in a socio-economic
depressed central area with an unattractive image.
•They constitute veritable landmarks and nodes of accumulation of tertiary and quaternary
sector activities. These projects improve the accessibility of the environmental space of
their sites.
•The flagship projects have a high social cost because of a social substitution of the
habitants of the neighbourhood. However they don’t constitute a veritable solution to social
problems. They lead a population transfer to other areas. Their construction and
maintenance costs are also large.
METHODOLOGY (I)
Comparability of selected flagship urban projects
Aspects for critical analysis
SCALE
ASPECT
Macro-scale (city and
interurban)
Meso-scale
(Neighbourhood / zone)
Micro-scale (Project
and person)
Morphology
Physic transformation of a
decline urban sector or a
generation ex-novo of a
urban zone
Renovation, rehabilitation or
construction ex-novo
Design
Image
Contribution to global
image of a city
Image of a neighbourhood
Perception of users
Social
Attract tourists and the
transnational class
Process of social
transformation (substitution)
Users of a place and social
practices
New installation of economic
activities
Cultural Activity of the
master piece of the
flagship urban project
Attract capital
Economic
Competition between
cities who belong to a
same hierarchy level of a
urban network
TABLE: ASPECTS TO ANALYZE IN THIS RESEARCH IN FONCTION OF DIFFERENT SCALES AND APPROCHES
METHODOLOGY (II)
-Diachronic analysis of the physical transformation through cartography, photography and
bibliographic references
-Interviews to different users
-Analysis of different spaces of representation and representation of spaces: documents like
videos, photography, texts or touristic maps, and also graffitis, manifestations or singular
events.
-Exploratory data analyse of:
.Tourists and quotidian users of the BNF
.Population statistics and property characteristics of sols with residential function in
the Tolbiac’s sector of the ZAC Rive Gauche
-Participant observation in the flagship project and in their neighbourhood
« GRANDS PROJETS » IN PARIS: 1980-2007
Années
Les Grands Travaux
où
ils
apparaissent cités
(à partir de 1980)
Institut du Monde Arabe
1981, 1987
Musée d’Orsay
Grande
Arche
1982
de
la
Défense
Opéra Bastille
1983, 1989
1983, 1989
Grand Louvre et Pyramide
1983, 1989, 1990
Palais Omnisport de Bercy
1984
(Zénith,
Grande
Halle,
Géode Cité des Sciences
et de l’Industrie, Cité de et
1984, 1985, 1986, 1990
de la danse)
Forum des Halles
Eurodisneyland (Marne-laVallée)
Pavillon de l’Arsenal
Ministère des Finances à
Bercy
1985
1985
1988
1989
Bibliothèque Nationale de
France
1992, 1995
François Mitterrand
Stade de France
1993, 1998
Cathédrale d’Evry
1995
Grands Travaux à Paris selon Fourcault,et al. (2007)
« GRANDS PROJETS » IN PARIS: 1980-2007
These projects was considered from the speciality bibliography. They was able to
have this characteristics:
-Monumentality
-Political power and capital concentration
-Origin of tendencies of urban processes
-‖Intra muros‖ Paris and ―banlieu‖ of proximity
Selection of some of this projects: Villette, Opéra de la Bastille, Stade de France et
BNF F. Mitterrand
Common aspects:
-Exaltation of the national identity
-Design and star architecture
-Emblematic building to generate an urban regeneration process
-High economic costs
-Interaction between project and place. Re-creation of the places
-Main objective: stimulation of the consumption and offer a high quality service
« BIBLIOTHÈQUE NATIONALE DE FRANCE » – F. MITTERRAND .
ZAC RIVE GAUCHE
*Recent evolution of the district of the ―Rive Gauche‖
*Analysis of the actors’ discourses, of the spaces of representation and
representation of the space and morphological transformation.
- Public initiative, concretely of the Republican President: F. Mitterrand
- Urban Planning with a ―Zone d’Aménagement Concerté‖ ZAC.
- Physic transformation of the place through a cover of train tracks. Mixed
utilisation of the sol. Historical building remains (i.e. Les Frigos et les
Grands Moulins).
-Contradiction between the discourses of the actors: political, technical
and public.
*Social and economic transformation (statistical data)
-Attraction of tourists (BNF) and transnational enterprises
-Number of library’s users is stabilized (300 people/day )
-Cultural activities less important than economic activities
-Neighbourhood with a low degree of vitality: contrast between day and
night
“BNF F. MITTERRAND”– (ZAC Rive Gauche). Paris
Architect: D. Perrault (1991-1995)
Photo. Three of four “open books” (Towers of the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand).
Au premier plan de l’image nous pouvons voir les travaux du projet de la Rive Gauche dans le faisceau
des voies ferrées.05/2008
23/02/2008
30/01/2010
30/01/2010
Publicity of the SEMAPA. Photo of the 06/04/2010
“BNF F. MITTERRAND”– (ZAC Rive Gauche). Paris
Architect: D. Perrault
(1991-1995)
SECTEUR TOLBIAC. ZAC Rive Gauche. Paris
Information Centre of the Rive Gauche
(15/04/2008)
Semapa (30/04/2008)
TOLBIAC
(T1-T3)
CARACTÉRISITIQUES
% Nbr
% Total
TYPE
Surface Surf/Log Secteur Nbr Rive
LOGEMENT Nbr
(m2)
(m2)
Tolbiac
Gauche
Log. Sociaux
324
31303
96,6
38,9
23,8
Log. Libres
509
45683
89,8
61,1
37,4
Log.
Étudiants
0 —
—
—
0,0
TOTAL (sauf
étudiants)
833
76986
92,4
100,0
61,3
Background of the map: IGN 1981
Scaled model in the Informational Centre of the
―Rive Gauche‖ (15/04/2008)
SOME FLAGSHIP PROJECTS IN THE IBERIAN PENINSULA:
IMITATION PROCESS FROM PROJETS IN GLOBAL CITIES (London, Paris,...) &
OTHER SUCCESSFUL CASES (Bilbao, Glasgow)
CHOICE OF CASES (European Cities: small and medium size)
-“Cidade da Cultura” (Santiago Compostela – Galicia, Spain)
Large dimensions of the project
Utilisation of the proposed services
Dialog or opposition to historical centre?
Localisation and accessibility
-“Casa da Musica” (Porto - Portugal)
Capacity of regeneration? – diminished (―degradado‖) area of Boavista
European City of Culture: 2001
-“Ciutat de les Arts i de les Ciènces” (València – Spain)
Politic strategy of urban and territorial image change
Interaction with mega-events (F1, America’s Cup,...)
Economic viability and sustainability
(Para quien) For whose people?
Photo of Paisajes Españoles
(in Martí Arís, 1995)
04/07/2005 “Cidade da Cultura” depuis Mte. Pedroso
“CIDADE DA
CULTURA”.
Santiago de
Compostela
(Galicia – Spain)
31/07/2006 “Cidade da Cultura” from the roof of the Faculty of
Geography and History (Historique Centre)
Architect:
P. Eisenmann
(1999-…)
18/06/2009 “Cidade da Cultura”
“CASA DA MUSICA”. Porto (Portugal)
Architect: R. Koolhaas (1999-2005)
21/03/2010 Casa da Musica (Porto)
13/10/2006 Casa da Musica
(Porto)
(Rio Fernandes, 2000)
21/03/2010 Casa da Musica (Porto)
“CIUTAT DE LES ARTS I DE LES CIÈNCES”. València (Comunitat Valencià, Spain)
Architect: S. Calatrava (1989-2005…)
28/04/2006 “Ciutat de les Arts i de les Ciènces” (València). Photos
d’élaboration personnelle.
12/11/2007 València et la “Ciutat de les Arts i de les Ciènces”
Source: google earth
CONCLUSIONS
FLAGSHIP URBAN PROJECTS (general)
Urban marketing and inter-urban competitiveness
GRANDS PROJETS PARIS
Landmarks and a identification element for neighbourhood of Tolbiac and Paris
Localisations: central and symbolic places and urban wastelands
Main objective: attraction capital (tourist and enterprises of quaternary sector)
Improvement of the urban image
Improvement of the accessibility (i.e. metro 14)
Node of accumulation and attraction of capital
BNF F. MITTERRAND
Landmark of the neighbourhood
Physic Transformation of this area of Tolbiac
Contradiction between the discourses of the different actors
Functional and diurnal gentrification
Neither fear nor vitality of this area
PROJECTS IN SPAIN AND IN PORTUGAL
Public strategy: symbols of modernisation
Imitation: Grands Projets of F. Mitterrand and Bilbao’s Guggenheim
Common characteristics: ―cultural‖ and controversial projects
Necessity of a further analysis of economic and social transformations (meso and macroscales) to obtain a global assessment of the territorial impacts of the flagship projects
BIBLIOGRAPHY (selection)
Benjamin, W. 2003. Paris, capitale du XIXe siècle: exposé. Paris: Editions Allia.
Bianchini, F., J. Dawson, y R. Evans. 1992. in ―Flagship projects in urban regeneration.‖ Rebuilding the City: Property Led Urban Regeneration. London:
FN Spon.
Bianchini, F., et Parkinson, M. 1994. Cultural policy and urban regeneration: the West European experience. Manchester Univ Pr.
Debord, G. 1996. La Société du spectacle. Paris: Gallimard.
Evans, G. 2005. ―Measure for measure: Evaluating the evidence of culture's contribution to regeneration.‖ Urban Studies 42:959-983.
Evans, G. 2003. ―Hard-branding the cultural city – from Prado to Prada.‖ International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 27:417-440.
Fainstein, S. S. 2008. ―Mega-projects in New York, London and Amsterdam.‖ International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 32:768-785.
Harvey, D. 1997. ―Acumulación flexible, prácticas espaciais e clases sociais.‖ in As redes urbanas. Unha nova xeografía das cidades. Santiago de
Compostela: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela.
Harvey, D. 1989. ―From managerialism to entrepreneurialism: the transformation in urban governance in late capitalism.‖ Geografiska Annaler. Series B.
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Harvey, D. 2008. Géographie del la domination. Paris: Les Prairies Ordinaires.
Lefebvre, H. 2000. La production de l'espace. 4º ed. Paris: Anthropos.
Lynch, K. 1985. La imagen de la ciudad. 2º ed. México: Ed. G.Gili.
Paddison, R. et Miles, S. 2009. Culture-led Urban Regeneration. London: Routledge.
Paddison, R. 1993. ―City Marketing, Image Reconstruction and Urban Regeneration.‖ Urban Studies 30:339.
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Society 29:304-331.
Rosemberg, M. 2000. Le marketing urbain en question : production d'espace et de discours dans quatre projets de villes. Paris: Anthropos.
Smyth, H. 1994. Marketing the city. London: Taylor & Francis.
Zukin, S. 1998. ―Urban Lifestyles: Diversity and Standardisation in Spaces of Consumption.‖ Urban Studies 35:825-839.