C40 Good Practice Guides: Paris - Quartier Massena, Rive Gauche

Summary

The Quartier Massena is one of three districts along the left bank of the River Seine in Paris’s 13th arrondissement. The district is part of a compact, mixed-use, and pedestrian and cycle friendly new development built in the early 1990s on former rail yards, warehouses, and industrial land.

Results

Paris Rive Gauche is an area experiencing the emergence of a thriving district with local shops and services. According to SEMAPA, almost 20,000 residents, 30,000 students, lecturers and researchers, and 60,000 workers cross paths every day. The area also benefits from ten hectares of green spaces and 2,000 trees. In addition, unlike much of Paris where buildings generally follow a standard design code, the area offers a broad mix of building styles.

Reasons for success

The Quartier Massena integrates residential, work, retail and entertainment activities into one area. As such, everyday destinations are mixed together, as opposed to concentrated in separate spaces, thus making many trips short and walkable. The diverse, mixed-use neighbourhoods also allow for more varied, rich and interesting streetscapes, with diverse street activities at all hours.^xxxv

When/why a city might adopt an approach like this

Cities with underutilised space may be interested in replicating the example of Quartier Massena as an example of providing for a range of daily activities within one neighbourhood.

C40 Good Practice Guides

C40's Good Practice Guides offer mayors and urban policymakers roadmaps for tackling climate change, reducing climate risk and encouraging sustainable urban development. With 100 case studies taken from cities of every size, geography and stage of development around the world, the Good Practice Guides provide tangible examples of climate solutions that other cities can learn from. 

The Transit Oriented Development Good Practice Guide is available for download here.  The full collection of C40 Good Practice Guides is available for download here.  

All references can be found in the full guide.