Situated on the banks of the Loire, Nantes, together with that of Saint-Nazaire, is viewed as the largest metropolitan area of western France. During the 1990s it was, of all the major French cities, the one that grew most rapidly. The Island of Nantes forms part of its territory and the history of the island ran almost in parallel to industrial development as well as the crisis and closure of several industries in the nineteen-seventies. In the early 1990s, and after several signs that alerted to the decadence of the island, Nantes City Hall decided to transform the situation and commit to the island’s urban development.

In 1996 the city approved the Project 2005, which situated the river Loire at the heart of the space. In 1998 the city of Nantes consulted three multidisciplinary teams to devise the project for the Island of Nantes, from which was chosen, in 2000, Chemetoff Alexander and Jean Louis Berthomieu, who focused on the public space as the lever for urban transformation. A 20-year term was established for the renewal of the Island of Nantes thanks to the support of the European Regional Development Fund.

Since its launch, the project for the Island of Nantes has been viewed in an open fashion: modifications are permitted as results obtained are assessed. Far from being a completely fresh start, the project takes as its starting point the visible traces of the island’s history, which are incorporated both symbolically through the memory and work of the associations and physically through the recovery of emblematic buildings from the industrial past of Nantes.

The urban project for the island includes 550,000 square metres of housing and 300,000 square metres for commercial activities and offices. Social transformation is principally based on the development of a new knowledge economy organised around several areas: legal division, communication district, health and biotechnology zone and art and culture centre. In addition, in order to foster social diversity, housing rental and purchase aid programmes will be offered as well as university residences, measures to strengthen local commerce and new public facilities. There are plans to create 7,500 new homes, 15,000 jobs and 150,000 square metres of metropolitan facilities.

The Island of Nantes is gradually being transformed into a sustainable development. The powerful presence of the river and the prohibition to use pesticides in the maintenance of the public spaces reveal the determination to protect the island’s biodiversity. In addition, good management of water resources is guaranteed by a system of water collection and the reduction of energy consumption through the development of renewable energies.

The inauguration of the Schoelcher walkway in 2000 established the link with the city’s historic centre. Three years later saw the creation of SAMOA (Society for the Development of the West Atlantic Metropolitan Area), a mixed-capital company dedicated to directing and managing the project, though in February 2009 the company changed its form and its capital to become entirely public. In July 2010 a new team headed by Marcel Smets took over from Chemetoff Alexander.

//Proposal by: Bruno Remoué