Redesign Your Town

Urban Regeneration in Four European Countries

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DEVELOPMENT AND REGENERATION OF THE PART-DIEU CBD

By Emma Plaut & Sarah Yilmaz


1. Introducing the Part-Dieu

The Part Dieu's central business district is situated in the third borough of Lyon. The area was originally a military barracks, but now it is the second business district in France, after “La Défense” in Paris. Charles Delfante, a technical adviser, as well as several architects, were instrumental in its initial development. Considered chronologically as Lyon's second CBD, this district now provides work for 45 000 people. Situated on the east bank of the Rhone river, the Part-Dieu is home to a large shopping centre, a major railway station and many office blocks.


2. The Shopping Mall: Continuous development

The shopping mall was opened in September 1975. With its 154 shops it became the biggest urban shopping centre in Europe. In 2000, the mall building was regenerated for the first time with the creation of windows, because people thought it needed to be open to the outside.Then in 2009, the first floor was redeveloped to create a space for relaxation and a new generation of restaurants.

A year later, the Cours Oxygène and the Oxygène Tower were built with 25 new shops and a new car park with 495 extra parking spaces. This project created 250 new jobs. These days, the Part-Dieu is at the heart of Lyon's human, commercial and business crossroads. There is even an events policy for kids and adults, to meet the needs of its urban clientel. The mall, with its 32 million visitors annually, still remains very popular despite the launch of a rival mall at the Confluence area of Lyon.


It is very easy to get to the Part-Dieu, especially by public transport, that is to say, trams (the lines T1, T2, T3, T4), buses and the subway. Indeed, many bus and tram lines have their terminus at the Part-Dieu and line B of the subway goes through the Part-Dieu CBD. And there is also the large Part-Dieu railway station, which opened its doors in 1983 and which is right next to the shopping centre: today it is Lyon's main railway station. Indeed, it is the number one station for passenger connections in Europe, with HST (High Speed Trains) going to major European and other French cities.


4. The Part-Dieu CBD: a centre for culture

Urban planners have been very keen to make the Part-Dieu a cultural hub for the region.

  • Built in 1975, the Maurice-Ravel auditorium is a concert hall with 2 120 seats. Mainly focused on classical music, it is home to the Orchestra of Lyon, but also hosts concerts of world music, jazz, and variety, and occasionally screens movies.
  • The library, which opened to the public in 1972, was built under the supervision of Henri-Jean Martin, then the library's director. It is the biggest municipal library in France, containing 1 800 major documents dating back from the Middle Ages.
  • Opened in 1971, there are the “Halles” which sell fine produce. Renovated in 2006, they were named after Paul Bocuse, the world-famous chef based at nearby Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or.

5. Bibliography

start/1-france/a-research/01-lyon/part-dieu.txt · Last modified: 2014/10/02 16:43 by antony