Lizett Figueroa: The Development of Eco-neighbourhoods and the Sustainable City (A Study in Paris)

Sustainable development is becoming a tool for urban planning, leading in particular to the establishment of ‘eco-neighbourhoods’ in many European cities. The aim of our thesis is to analyse the development of eco-neighbourhoods in the Paris region based on two case studies (the Clichy Batignolles ZAC and the Place de Rungis ZAC). The aim is, on the one hand, to show how the concept of the sustainable city is emerging and, on the other hand, how this concept gives rise to architectural standards.

We hypothesise that eco-neighbourhoods form part of a broader concept of the sustainable city, depending on how they are developed, and that the construction of such developments serves to legitimise urban policies rather than to bring about an ecological transition in city management.

To understand the process of developing eco-neighbourhoods, how residents engage with them and how they are integrated into the city, our research draws on theoretical analyses aimed at deconstructing the core concepts of the ‘sustainable city’ and identifying the network of stakeholders involved in the development of eco-neighbourhoods. We also carry out observations and semi-structured interviews with planners, architects and residents of the two study sites.

Drawing on our two case studies, we will explain how, as a result of prescriptive local policies, eco-neighbourhoods contribute to the creation of a homogenised city. This homogenisation is driven by the architectural and urban form of these neighbourhoods.