The reversible city ? (only available in french)

par

published on 21 December 2011

Study on “The reversible city?” by students in the regional and urban planning graduate program at ENPC (École nationale des Ponts et Chaussées) (national school for bridge and road construction) in partnership with The City Factory.

The reversible city is a concept related to the flexible, resilient or sustainable city that requires further definition. This new concept reflects the needs to “stick” to compressed timeframes without placing an undue burden on the future. The western district of Paris is a site where the reversible city can be applied, in particular, at La Défense and Nanterre. Three urban complexes related to three development programs (office/residential space, car parks, networks) call into question the timeframe of urban development. If city-building necessarily includes irreversible development, how do we build flexibility into urban development?

Download the french version (PDF)