Paris Launches EcoDistrict on Train Station Site

After a decade of development, Paris' first EcoDistrict launched this year. Built in place of a disused train station, the district features offices, housing, and amenities built around clean and green principles.

1 minute read

December 21, 2015, 6:00 AM PST

By Philip Rojc @PhilipRojc


Paris Trees

ClaudineLonget / Flickr

Paris' new EcoDistrict is a focal point in the city for sustainable infrastructure and design. "It includes clean transportation, rainwater collection machines, sustainable materials and efficient thermal insulation." 

The project stands on the site of the former Rungis Train Station in the 13th arrondissement. According to a piece in The Global Grid by Iva Boishin, "The new Parisian district was inaugurated on May 30, 2015 by Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris. Built on the old train station, bordering the little belt railway, on 4 hectares (9.9 acres); it was designed following sustainable development principles."

"'The design of the district, coordinated by the architect Bruno Fortier, is based on the concept of open blocks which allow light to enter, unlike Haussmann urban forms where only the facades facing the street are accessible from the public space' specifies Jean-Francois Gueullette." Gueullette is current director of SEMAPA, the Parisian public development entity that spearheaded the project to the tune of 83 million Euros.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015 in The Global Grid

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

Mamdani behind a microphone, in front of a snowbank

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge

A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.

November 6 - CNN

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6 - Grist

People board a bus in Seattle.

Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion

Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.

November 6 - KOMO News

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.