Berggren Seminar Paper

8/7/2019 Berggren Seminar Paper

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From here to there: a reviewof Lilles urban planning and

transportation development

andrew berggrenterm abroad - spring 2011


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movement

growth

history

In this essay I aim to introduce and document the relationship betweenurban planning and public transportation in Lille, France. I will presentLilles history, discuss its growth, and explore its future development po-tential. My research and experiences were developed and documentedover a period of two months while I resided in Lilles sister city: Villeneuve

dAscq.

Lille currently is a city of 230,000 people, over a million inhabitants whencounting the suburban areas, and upwards of 6 million when including theeurodistrict expansion into Belgian territory. This conurbation of Frenchand Belgian cities has improved Lilles metropolis ranking to 4th largestin France (Lhour, 1998). The history of Lille has not always been one of

great numbers though; it was actually around 1860 that the area had itsrst real boom. The city of Roubaix (12 km from Lilles city center) initiallydeveloped with its foundation in the textile industry.

Later Lille started its expansion as the university Lille 1 relocated to whatwould be the new city of Villeneuve dAscq in 1967. Over the next twodecades Lille 2, and Lille 3 would be established (schools of technology,

law, medicine and social sciences). This massive campus brought whatis today over 110,000 students to the city. The next step forward for thedeveloping city came in the 1970s when prime minister Pierre Mauroyselected Lille as the new location for the high speed rail stop that wouldconnect London, Paris, and Brussels (French prime ministers, 2011).This was Lilles big opportunity to shine on the national level as theireconomy transitioned from being industry based, to service oriented.

I nd the rail network developments fascinating because I have alwayshad an interest in transportation, especially the energy saving opportuni-ties. Now to handle this increasing population, the company transpole in1983 opened the rst and current worlds largest driverless metro system.The system known as VAL stands for Vhicule Automatique Lger (lightautomated vehicle), but also represents the cities in which it was rst de-veloped Villeneuve dAscq Lille (the new city to Lille). The system is rec-ognizable by its computer navigation, dual car rapidly traveling trains, and

protective barriers which separate passengers from the dangerous tracks.


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interview

density

land use

proximity

The urban future of Lille has been shaped around density, walking radi-uses, and political negotiations. To further understand this topic, I con-ducted a personal interview with Mathieu Goetzke, the chief urban plan-ner of Lille on March 28th 2011. Mr. Goetzke currently oversees a teamof 10 planners with backgrounds in architecture, law, and politics. Fromthe interview I gained a much deeper understanding of Lilles and Francesurban planning opportunities and obstacles. Some of the subjects coveredincluded open air parking regulations, brown elds, and neighborhoodconsultations.

To set the premise for how urban planners design, I cannot overempha-

size that the worth of a city must be measured by how the individualdwells and moves within it. How one negotiates their day to day interac-tions is the product of a plan. Now this notion was brought into new lightfor me as Mathieu explained the smaller article of a city, the node. I hadbriey discussed this planning concept before, but as we talked it becameclear as to how a city lacking this methodology would be weakened botheconomically and experientially. The big issues are always the same: en-ergy consumption, economic prosperity, and quality of life. I was bafedat the thought of this simple planning strategy being the key to a metrop-

oliss success.

Mathieu disclosed that Lille is in a transition period where land must becarefully planned out with density as the primary factor. One element ofdensity includes maximizing land use, which means developing a regionas much as zoning will allow. This is where nodal planning becomes vital.Mathieu explained that the able bodied European today is willing to walk

roughly 250 meters to reach a destination (which translates to around5 minutes time). This concept was established as the walking radius,which most often centered around metro stops and other transportationcrossings.

As a result of the density intensive movement, there are resulting outerregions commonly referred to as brown elds. In direct opposition to

the American way of newer developments simply expanding to subur-ban regions of a metropolis, Lille and European cities in general seem todistance and isolate low income housing and brown elds from primarynodes. Mr. Goetzke admitted this as a weakness of Lilles former planning


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politics

incentives

zoning

decisions. A brown eld is a planning term used to describe a piece of in-dustrial or commercial property that is abandoned or underused and oftenenvironmentally contaminated, especially one considered as a potentialsite for redevelopment (Greenberg, 2004).

To aid this trend, recent tax cuts have been offered to investors who canproduce employment opportunities for low income neighborhoods. Thoughnoble in theory, the outcome of this methodology often creates low pay-ing jobs which keep participants bound to a low income cycle, Mathieu ex-plained. He stated that new and healthier building trends in Lille call for adiversied ratio of about 20% low income housing being incorporated intoany given sector. On the ip side of the issue, economically Lille has beenrather prosperous in the Euralille district.

Euralille is a specically designed intercity zone which has built in benetsfor developers when they fully and appropriately utilize the land. This ele-ment of political bargaining and economic tight rope walking has so farpaid off in Lille, but has also often frustrated Lilles largest investors. Forexample, Mr. Goetzke revealed that clustering similar facilities (such asbiomedical) in one area or park often results in fruitful nancial endeav-

ors. A major drawback to this ideology is the political debate which sparkswhen a new developer wishes to purchase available land in one of theseparks, without the intention of building a complementary facility. Thepolitical give and take of Lilles planning committee may prove to be thelargest factor in moving the city in a prosperous and environment friendlydirection.

As I delve deeper into the planning of a city, it has become more obvi-ous that the most exhausting piece to moving a city forward are the po-litical negotiations. On Mathieus planning team of ten people only threeare architects, while the remainder hails from political, social, and lawbackgrounds. To intensify matters, Mathieu explained how his team hassought out the citizens of Lille for their input on the quality and conditionof life in Lille. They begin by randomly drawing names to form groups ofcitizens who (if willing) participate in face to face discussions about howthe city is serving them. Issues as big as the rail network all the way

down to handicap accessibility issues are discussed. The team of plan-ners along with the citizens will tour the town, discussing issues along theway. Mr. Goetzke stressed this style of bottom up design as the standardbuilding block to a successful city.


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credibility

residential

development

short term,long term

Today when choosing a location to dwell the largest selling points for in-

dividuals and families are good school systems, convenient transporta-tion options, and affordable housing. These elements have been carefulreviewed by Mr. Goetzke and his team as they currently have great in-terest in developing residential communities to the south of central Lille.Mathieu explained that the denser inner city of Lille (apart of the eura-lille developments) are great for attracting young business professionalsand commuters to Lille, but offer little satisfaction for family life. As partof their long term solution, the city has already drawn up a contract withtranspole to extend tramway lines to this southern region.

One legitimate struggle Mathieu unveiled as we discussed residential de-velopment was the notion of short term and long term goals. When deal-

ing with the public he explained, it is often hard to tell a citizen that theirneighborhood will be a great place to live in ten years time. Inhabitantsoften question the short term issues and if no immediate solution is initi-ated, his team may lose credibility with the residents. This was one areaMr. Goetzke sympathized with the public when he stated, If we cannotquickly solve a small curb access issue in a residential neighborhood, whyshould the people trust our 10 year revitalization plan?

This opened my eyes to the fragile balance between short and long termplanning. He called their currently agenda the global urban plan whichcovers a handful of immediate needs which are constantly being mas-saged into the larger long-term picture. Now that weve moved past thepolitical and social debates, its time to discuss the true meat of urbanliving: transportation. As I have previously foreshadowed, I hope to nowreveal how transportation has facilitated this wide breadth of planninggenres in Lille. From high speed trains to dedicated bike lanes; the waypeople move throughout the metropolis is one delightfully congested net-work of commotion.


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transportation

metro

train

The largest and primary element to Lilles transportation network is thehigh speed rail lines, which pass through the centrally located Lille Eu-rope train station. This facility was rst envisioned in 1986 when theFranco-British agreement to build the Channel Tunnel connecting Great

Britain and France was signed. This agreement was made between theFrench prime minister (and Lilles mayor) Pierre Mauroy, and Mrs. Marga-ret Thatcher, the then British prime minister. This project was the jumpingoff point to a revitalization of the Lille metropolis, which as I have alreadystated was the beginning to the Euralille business district developments.

To expand on the rail network of Lille I would simply explain that withoutthe high speed rail line stop, the city would not be what it is today. Theproximity and density of European cities has been the critical factor thathas made rail travel possible there. But not everything is as wonderful asit may seem in Lille, as I was informed by my French professor there isa possibility for improved efciency. The opportunity lies with the secondstation, gare lille andres. This station traditionally houses the regionaltrains that operate only in France, but the dilemma is that the station isa dead end, unlike the Lille Europe station with trains passing straight

through. With more investigation into train schedules and timing betweenthe regional and high speed national trains, Lille could take one more steptowards streamlining their transportation coordination.

The next step one takes after exiting the train network would be onto themetro. Like previously stated, Lille has one of the most innovative sys-tems in the world with computer controlled cars and a network with over

60 stops (and on the verge of extending into Belgium). The metro systemworks in a unique but simple way, passengers purchase a single ticket ormonthly pass (depending on individual needs) and then validate the ticketbefore entering the train (but not passing through a controlling turn-style). Then transportation ofcers or controllers periodically minglethrough the cars and metro stops, checking passengers tickets and issu-ing nes accordingly. I found this system interesting and quiet differentthan in any other city I visited. What I admired was the minimal amountof equipment required to make this system operate. Another point worth

investigating is the distances between metro stops. Some cities like Parishave stops averaging 350 meters apart, where as Lille has average dis-tances over 500m, which may not be the most convivial way to encouragefoot trafc.


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tramway

automobile

scooter

bicycle

The other rail guided method of transportation is the tramway. In Lille therst line was established in 1909 and currently has four lines in operation.A large benet of a tramway system is the cheap construction costs com-pared to the expensive infrastructure required for a metro system. Other

benets include the above-ground scenery vs. the underground tunnelexperience offered via metro. One key element to their tramways successis that the tram cars have priority over automobiles at any intersection.This concept is essential Mathieu explained to improving the efciencyand appeal of mass transit within the city.

The personal automobile still has a place in Lille, but with a cost. Boththe infrastructure required and the fuel demanded is at an all time high interms of expense. Currently fuel prices in France are over $8 per gallon(compared with the USs $3.80). This steep cost has been the result ofEuropean ofcials placing heavy taxation on this fuel source in hopes thatpeople will elect to take a more efcient means of transportation, amongother reasons. So far this trend has worked as France has shown morethan a 13% increase in bicycling within the last decade (Pucher, & Bue-hler, 2008). The automobile is a convenient way to get around but as the

recent past has already shown it may be more costly than the majoritywill be able to pay.

Two wheeled motorized bikes have become a very favorable method ofgetting around in Europe. Fuel efciency combined with compact size andmaneuverability has elevated mopeds and the like to a very desirable po-sition. One note about them is that in Europe parking a scooter just about

anywhere is acceptable which makes riding one all the more enjoyable.The drawback to a motorbike is that it operates on roadway infrastructurewhich may conict with mass transit expansion and operation.

Bicycling within Lille is the area of transportation which needs the mostimprovement. As I had previously recognized through my research, Lillecurrently has a very limited number of dedicated bicycle lanes. This ul-

timately discourages biking and leaves cyclists in a dangerous position(due to them being prohibited from riding on sidewalks). The good newMr. Goetzke shared was that Lille has already initiated plans to invest in apublic bicycle sharing system similar to cities like Paris and Brussels. This


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pedestrian

a bright future

bibliography

will be a major step towards a healthier and more environment friendlymode of transportation. Also this will boost Lilles Decathlon bicycle outletstore which will be manufacturing all the new bikes. Another biking im-provement is the recently completed bicycle storage unit which sits adja-cent to the Lille andres train station. Now residents are encouraged toride to the station and leave their bike securely locked and covered right

downtown.

Pedestrian are as previously stated the smallest building block to thewhole puzzle, but also the most important. When a city gives precedenceto the individual both their safety and happiness ourishes. Beginningfrom the top and working down the priority must go: mass transit (rail,metro, and bus), pedestrian, bicyclist, scooter and lastly the automobile.

After 3 and a half months in Europe I have come to see that when thismodel is properly carried out, both efciency and prosperity follow. Thistransportation structure cohesively has been and continues to be the gluewhich binds their political, economic, and social fabric.

So how does urban life and transportation jive exactly? Well apart from arejuvenating major railway investment, nodal planning around a state of

the art metro system and plans for future bicycling implementation, whatelse is there to discuss? Lille is a thriving city with a xed eye on howtransportation has been and will continue to be their vehicle of choice forimproving metropolitan life. And as for urban planning; the big takeawayswere density, nodes, and political perseverance. These three foundationalconcepts have been the deciding factors for how Lille has strategically de-veloped into one of the most desirable cities in France.

French prime ministers. (2011, march 19). Retrieved from http://faculty.ucc.edu/egh-damerow/french_prime_ministers.htm

Greenberg, M.R. (2004, november). Browneld. Retrieved from http://www.answers.com/topic/browneld-1

Goetzke, M. (2011, March 28). Personal interview.

Lhours, C. (1998). Lille after euralille: the changing metropolis. France.

Pucher, J, & Buehler, R. (2008). Cycling for everyone: lessons from Europe. Trans-portation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2074(10.3141/2074-08), 58-65.


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Euralille commercial development

Downtown bicycle storage


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Bus and bike lane

Driverless metro with safety barriers


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Tramway

Euralille center with transportation


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Browneld

Abandoned industrial park in the process of being rezoned

Documents

Berggren Seminar Paper