La RocheLLe

La Rochelle
A TERRITORY
OF TALENT
contents
2
4
The Conurbation in Detail
6
La Rochelle’s Appeal
8
The Mainstay of the Economy
14
Our Character Traits
16
A Fertile Region for European Projects
20
Urban Ecology – A Real Commitment
22
Governance with Resident Involvement
3
The Conurbation
in Detail
Focus on some
competences
› E conomic development, employment and
integration into the labour market
› Town planning
› Local Transport Authority
› Social balance of housing
› Water production and treatment
› P rotection and enhancement of both the
natural and living environments
› Cultural facilities
› Information and Communication
Technologies (ICT)
L
18
towns today…
28 towns by 2014
206
64
km2 (80 mi2)
km (40 miles)
of linear coastline
146 000
population...
more than 160 000 by 2014
ocated between Nantes and Bordeaux,
on the French Atlantic coast, La Rochelle
is a medium-sized conurbation uniting
18 towns to form a community of 146,000
citizens around its historic city centre and
millennial port.
These towns work in partnership within a public
establishment for cooperation known as the
La Rochelle Urban Community (la Communauté
d’Agglomération - CdA) which is both a political
and an administrative body with extensive
competences.
By 2014 the CdA will encompass a further
10 towns thereby increasing the number of
residents by 15,000 and enlarging its geographic
area by 60%.
The demographics of this area illustrate its
dynamism, with an annual population growth
of 1.1%. This figure is above the average for
comparable urban areas (0.8%) and concerns
all age groups, in particular those of working
age who are attracted by the area’s economic
vitality. Over the last 15 years the number of
jobs has increased by 35%.
London
1h30
Paris
3h
Nantes
2h
La Rochelle
Bordeaux
2h
4
Brussels
1h30
Lyon
1h
5
La Rochelle’s
Appeal
Cultural vitality
Every month La Rochelle plays host to a major
event such as the International In-Water Boat
Show ‘Le Grand Pavois’ or one of France’s
biggest contemporary music festivals ‘Les
Francofolies’. There are also around ten key
events linked to the audiovisual industry...
the ‘International Film Festival’, the ‘Festival
of TV Fiction’ or the annual gathering of the
documentary industry known as the ‘Sunny Side
of the Doc’ to name a few.
A privileged climate
Nestled on the coast, the conurbation
benefits from a mild, ocean climate and has
2,400 sunshine hours a year, equivalent to that
of the Côte d’Azur.
4 million
Outstanding
architecture
tourists annually
2
nd
Exceptionally well-preserved… a veritable stroll
through history with medieval arcade-lined
streets, wealthy 18th century townhouses,
seaside villas of the Belle Epoque as well as
contemporary buildings..
most important national
Marathon (after Paris) with
10,000 entrants including
many international runners
15
annual festivals
100 000
visitors each year to
‘Le Grand Pavois’ boat show
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The Francofolies, an unmissable
musical event that spread in
Montreal and Spa.
The New World Museum in
La Rochelle, housed in town mansion
from the eighteenth century.
Sunny Side of the Doc gathers
annually 300 decision-makers and
2 000 international directors.
Recognised assets
La Rochelle is also home to many important
sporting events: annual marathon, international
regattas, acting as a port of call for open-sea
races… it also has a rugby team that plays in the
national division.
In addition, its residents benefit from an
impressive cultural season at its national stage
‘La Coursive’ and its various auditoria used for
theatre as well as cinema; and La Rochelle boasts
the ‘Centre Intermonde’ (inter-world centre)
which welcomes international artistic talent.
Everyone can also enjoy contemporary music
at ‘La Sirène’, La Rochelle’s exceptional and
amazing live music venue (with a main concert
hall, a club and rehearsal studios...) which is
housed in a former grain store of La Rochelle’s
commercial port..
An expanse of water ideal for water sports
and boating, the proximity of the picturesque
islands of Ile de Ré, Ile d’Aix and Ile d’Oléron,
a rich heritage, an art of living based on urban
ecology: all of which enrich the conurbation with
its strong powers of seduction.
In 2012, with 4 million visitors, La Rochelle was
once again ranked in the top 5 most visited
destinations in France.
7
3 000
The Mainstay
of the Economy
service businesses, 700
industrial businesses
87 000
salaried employees within
its urban area (extending to
towns located in the outer
suburbs of La Rochelle which
are not included in the CdA
conurbation) out of a total
of 97 131 jobs (taken from
INSEE - National Institute
for Statistics and Economic
Studies – 2009 statistics)
L
a Rochelle’s economy is based upon three key areas: industries of excellence, supported
by higher education and research establishments and its cutting edge port infrastructure
which lies within the conurbation. The fabric of the local economy is made up of several
major industrial companies (Alstom Transport, Rhodia, Delphi, Léa Nature...) as well as a
large variety of small and medium-sized businesses, the majority of which are in the service
industries.
+25%
increase in the number
of businesses and a 35%
increase in the number of
jobs created within the area
over the last 15 years
Léa Nature is a company
that weights in the world
of natural, organic and
fair products.
8
Atlantic Port La Rochelle:
the 6th french commercial port.
9
The Mainstay of the Economy
DEM Atlantic, a company
specialized in baking
shrimp and shellfish.
25
consultancy and
engineering
firms working in
the field of ecoactivities.
Renewable energy
and Eco-construction
1. Key industries
Marine industry
Food-processing industry
Drawing on its local assets such as its pleasure
port and ‘Le Grand Pavois’ boat show, the
marine industry has expanded greatly within
the conurbation through renowned shipyards
(Fountaine-Pajot, Dufour...) as well as various
small and medium-sized businesses covering
all the sector’s requirements.
Those companies working in the foodprocessing industry are developing links with
the seafood and the health and nutrition
sectors (e.g. Léa Nature). This development
was acknowledged in 2007 with the
conurbation being awarded a national seal
of recognition as a centre of excellence in
Aliments et Santé (food and health). Every
year La Rochelle is host to the Journées
Aliments & Santé (food and health days), the
key meeting place for innovation in terms
of nutrition as well as the promotion of
national and European scientific and technical
know-how.
10
The nautical sector of
the territory concentrates
a remarkable bundling
of know-how. Here, the
Rhea Marine shipyard.
Installation of a wind
turbine during the
construction of the
positive-energy building
future incubator for
eco-activities.
The renewable energy and the sustainable
engineering fields both benefit from La Rochelle’s
favourable conditions. The Atlantech platform, in
association with university laboratories (notably
LaSie), will soon become an applied research
and technological development centre on energy
efficiency in the field of building retrofitting.
This technological park will welcome innovative
businesses within the sector. Training personnel
in these new techniques will be a fundamental
part of the project. Developed on 27 hectares (67
acres), it will be at the heart of a ‘low carbon’ zone,
combining housing and economic activity.
Transmedia and ICT
Developed in clusters, the highly-productive
Information and Communication Technology
and audiovisual industries have come together to
create even further growth and visibility of their
savoir-faire.
The sector is further enhanced by the large
number of audiovisual events organised in
La Rochelle.
11
The Mainstay of the Economy
3. Port infrastructures
Commercial port
Marina
Fishing port
The port provides the only
deep sea water facilities on the
Atlantic coast. It is the number
one French port for the
handling of timber products.
Tonnage is in constant growth
with 8.5 million tonnes in
2012. In five years there will
be 45 hectares (111 acres) of
platform and further lengths
of quays.
There will soon be a total of
4 800 moorings following the
creation of a new 1 200-boat
marina. It is already amongst
the largest pleasure ports in
Europe.
Its high-quality facilities make
it a multiservice platform for
the entire Gulf of Gascony (or
Bay of Biscay). It is equipped
with logistical features
adapted to the entire fishing
and seafood industry.
All three ports have introduced sustainable development
measures and are fully committed to falling in line with the
territory’s development plans.
Every year, between
12 000 and 15 000 tons
of seafood products pass
through the fishing port.
2. talent and innovation
It is here that Alstom conceived the TGV (Train à
grande vitesse – high-speed train), the jewel in
the French railway industry; today the TGV has
made way for the Citadis tram as well as the AGV
(Automotrice à grande vitesse), a high-speed,
electric multiple unit train.
students from abroad and it is strongly involved
in the development of the European Space of
Higher Education (ESHE). Its research is particularly
focussed on the environment and sustainable
development as well as on visual and digital
technologies.
It is also in La Rochelle that Rhodia has developed
high performance products from rare earths for
such diverse uses as electronics and catalytic
converters. Today the company is developing
innovative processes for the recycling of these
components.
La Rochelle’s engineering school (École
d’Ingénieurs en Génie des Systèmes Industriels
- EIGSI) and business school (Groupe Sup de Co
La Rochelle) also participate in the economic
development of the area through their
partnerships with both businesses and the CdA.
Higher education and research
To accompany these initiatives the scheme
PULPE® was created in 2007 by the CdA to both
encourage the professional integration of students
and to support business innovation.
The University of La Rochelle is part of this new
generation of organisations with numerous
teaching innovations that are mindful of the
local area and of the conveying of knowledge
and competencies to the benefit of sustainable,
regional development. It welcomes 13% of its
12
The IUT trains high
level technicians,
for structural and
civil engineering,
building industry, and
eco-construction
320 companies and
2,000 direct and indirect
jobs in the nautical
sector of La Rochelle.
La Rochelle’s marina:
among the first in
Europe, with soon nearly
5 000 berths available.
9
research units
nationally
approved within
the University
Every year it awards financial support for research/
development projects undertaken by ‘studentcompany’ partnerships.
13
Our Character
Traits
The Siege of La Rochelle – Henri-Paul Motte (1881)
“Belle et rebelle”
Open to the world
Innovative
La Rochelle is known as ‘The Rebel City’
because so many times in the course of history
it has revealed its independent spirit.
As a port town La Rochelle developed through
international trade... firstly with northern
Europe, being the only French town to appear
in the Hansatic League, then with the New
World on the other side of the Atlantic.
La Rochelle has pursued this tradition, this
propensity to exchange, through numerous
twinnings, the ‘international’ positioning of its
University since its creation, the welcoming of
delegations from all over the world to share
its experience in a wide range of domains
such as clean transportation, sustainable
tourism, the prevention of delinquency...
Since the 1970s, even before sustainable
development was a well-known concept, the
conurbation was committed to the protection
of the environment and to quality of life:
preserving open green areas, introducing the first
pedestrianised streets in France in 1973, offering
“vélos jaunes” (self-service bike hire) since 1976
and even setting up selective recycling in 1995.
Founded in the 10th century as a simple fishing
village, the city then prospered through the
salt and the wine trades. In the 12th century
La Rochelle was one of the first towns to be
released from its feudal obligations and was
therefore governed by a mayor and his aldermen.
In the 16th century La Rochelle adopted reformist
ideas whilst the rest of France remained catholic
and then, at the time of the revolution, it
supported the new ideas once again. In the
centuries that followed, La Rochelle went on to
support humanism and was ahead of its time in
terms of its environmental awareness.
14
In 1997 La Rochelle pioneered the first ‘In town
without-my-car’ day. It then launched a goods
delivery service by electric vehicle, an electric
car-sharing system and even solar electric shuttle
boats to transport passengers across the city
channel. Sensitive to worldwide developments,
the conurbation, just like its residents, is ready to
get involved in any experiences that will prepare
the way for tomorrow’s urbanity.
15
A Fertile
territory for
European
Projects
T
raditionally receptive to exchanges and new
ideas in the areas of mobility, urbanism
and community spirit, as early as the 1990s
the conurbation of La Rochelle ventured into
European projects.
Today our territory has solid experience in setting up
and following up these initiatives.
European projects allow the CdA to:
› widen both its national and international reputation,
› be inspired by the experiences and good practice of
other European territories,
› develop local, innovative projects.
To date, its European projects have been developed
around 3 principal areas:
› Research and innovation: both the Research
& Development (FP) and the experience-sharing
‘Interreg’ programmes have allowed the CdA to
develop a number of projects such as a goods delivery
service using electric vehicles (Elcidis), the concept
Yélo and its smartcard, the bike-sharing service
(Civitas-Success), a real-time passenger information
service (Start) and the experimentation of automated
electric vehicles in public areas (CityMobil 2).
The CityMobil
European project:
experimentation
of passenger
transport by
electric automated
vehicles in urban
areas.
16
› Public awareness and implementation of
practices or technologies: through the Biosire
project, developed within the framework of the
‘Intelligent Energy Europe’ (IEE) programme, the CdA
has led a public awareness campaign amongst its
residents about clean vehicles (solar electric shuttle
boats, a new fleet of electric vehicles as part of the
Yélomobile car-sharing scheme).
› Governance: together with other European towns,
La Rochelle aims to develop a framework to monitor
strategic city plans, shared with its citizens and other
stakeholders.
17
La Rochelle sea-buses: first
electro-solar propelled boats for the
passenger transport with high/big
capacity.
300 bikes available in the bikesharing system and a unique
smartcard to travel all over the
territory.
Yélomobile: the electric car-sharing
(13 stations and 50 vehicles).
Elcidis Platform: clean deliveries via
electric vehicles in the city centre.
Intermodality
Several European projects (Civitas-Success,
Interreg-Start) have allowed the conurbation to
drive the concept of intermodality (the ease of
using more than one form of transportation for a
single journey) even further forward.
European
Projects as
Catalysts
for New
Forms of
Mobility
I
n the 1970s, the launch of the ‘vélos
jaunes’ in La Rochelle – an initiative that
was unique in France at that time and it
therefore received strong media coverage
– showed a commitment to ‘soft’ and
‘clean’ journeys. This trend has not ceased!
La Rochelle’s involvement in European
sustainable mobility programmes has made
various experimentations possible, many
of which have since been adopted into the
city’s daily life.
18
With the “Yélo” smartcard, La Rochelle’s
residents have access to a wide range of
transport services: electric boats and cars, buses,
bike-sharing... a combination of which should
meet everyone’s needs.
Electricmobility
The first electric-powered boats, running partly on
solar energy produced by photovoltaic panels and
used to transport passengers, have been in use since
1998. The ‘passeurs’, as they are known locally, are
small boats developed for crossing the harbour and
have since been joined by the ‘bus de mer’ (sea bus).
Since 2009 these sea buses have become the first
electro-solar energy, high-capacity boats (up to 75
passengers) that can navigate on open water, coping
with wind, currents and waves.
Since 1999 La Rochelle has been operating an electric
car-sharing system called ‘Yélomobile’ with a fleet
of 50 self-service vehicles, parked in 13 self-charging
stations.
In addition, 2001 saw the introduction of an electric
vehicle logistics system for goods deliveries in the
city. To minimise both environmental and congestion
problems by heavy goods vehicles in La Rochelle’s
historic centre, a logistics platform has been set up
on the edge of the city centre from which electric
vehicles pick up parcels and packages for delivery
in the city centre. The scheme has been named
Elcidis just like the European project whose grants
contributed to financing the pilot phase.
The regional express train to Rochefort, the
neighbouring conurbation, also forms part of
this offer with the frequency of the service being
improved and new stations being added to the
route.
Moving around in a different way
Numerous initiatives, developed within the framework of European projects, aim to facilitate both
using public transport and ‘soft’ transportation.
At the same time there is a continuing priority to
make the local population aware of these new
forms of transportation. To further this initiative
the bike-sharing service has been extended, Park
& Ride schemes have been created and business
travel plans have been developed.
Information – digital technology
An information system has been set up to give
passengers real-time travel information on-board
the buses, at bus stops as well as through text
messaging. There is also an online recharging
system for public transport subscribers. As a
major tourist destination, La Rochelle provides
its visitors with information about sustainable
transport solutions in the conurbation, notably
thanks to the Interreg-Start project.
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Urban Ecology –
A Real Commitment
Although the La Rochelle conurbation is well known in Europe in terms of mobility,
this is not its only field of activity in promoting a sustainable city.
The environmental charter
The first version of the charter, dating back
to 1996, required La Rochelle to ensure the
protection of natural spaces, in particular its
marshlands (there are two natural reserves in
the conurbation), the plantation of hedges to
improve both water quality and the landscape,
the alternative management of open green areas
aiming for zero pesticides, the development of
soft transportation infrastructures (170km/105
miles of cycle paths) and footpaths. In addition,
the CdA undertakes public awareness campaigns
regarding the issues surrounding the protection
of biodiversity, economising energy or even Ecocitizenship in its many guises.
Renewable energy
and eco-construction
Eco-construction: a priority for the
Urban Community.
The territory’s waste management
centre: a building fitted out for
educational purposes.
1977 saw the first solar panels being used
for hot water in group housing. Then in 1988
the conurbation introduced a network of
urban heating linked to the household waste
incineration plant. This energy development
plant produces enough heat to supply both
the manufacturing company, Rhodia, as well as
3,500 homes (soon to increase to 5,000).Today,
many projects (social housing programmes, city
buildings such as La Rochelle’s own greenhouses)
are adopting sustainable construction
technologies.
Selective waste collection and
household waste management
The conurbation has organised both waste
collection and waste management since 1995. Its
waste management centre is open for visits and
educational events on the subjects of selective
recycling and waste reduction. In both its design
and operations, the building itself is committed
to the high environmental quality standard
for green building in France. In addition, the
conurbation has a significant composting facility
for green waste.
Sustainable development
Through the Territorial Coherence Scheme and
Land Use Plan SCOT (Schéma de Cohérence
Territoriale) the conurbation has defined the
main orientations within its area over the next
10 years: limiting urban sprawl, protecting
natural areas, developing renewable energy and
clean transportation, promoting a sustainable
economy and ensuring social diversity.
In this way a development and sustainable
construction charter places certain obligations
on each new building.
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21
Governance
with Resident
Involvement
Consultation:
a long-standing trend
For more than 30 years a culture of ‘consultation’
has been firmly engrained in La Rochelle’s
mentality. Residents are always welcome to
exchange ideas with the elected members, experts
and other stakeholders so as to add their own
contribution to the conurbation’s development.
This was a guiding principal in the conurbation’s
first sustainable urban mobility plan 2000-2010
and remains fundamental for the second 20122021. Other projects and documents concerning
the future of the conurbation are drafted in the
same way... this is the case for SCOT, the current
Territorial Coherence Scheme and Land Use Plan
which runs until 2020.
A new participative charter
Working together to improve
efficiency
Transport, waste management, drinking
water production... in 1964 La Rochelle and 8
surrounding towns combined their resources to
ensure a better service to their residents. Twenty
years later, this partnership was pioneering in
France by agreeing to pool business tax revenues.
Previously this had never happened as each town
jealously guarded its own receipts.
Rather than compete with each other, these towns
chose to assist each other through the shared and
united management of their funds. This spirit still
prevails within today’s conurbation of 18 towns,
soon to be 28.
22
Working on Agenda 21, the conurbation’s
residents and civil servants have together
developed a participative charter detailing the
guidelines for a real and constructive dialogue
between the authorities (elected members
and management of the CdA) and the local
population. Its purpose is to develop and monitor
this sustainable development action plan. The
charter is equally applicable to other projects such
as the future Climate & Energy Policy or even the
creation of eco-districts.
Next step : participatory
monitoring
La Rochelle took part in a panel of European
towns that have tested the RFSC tool (Reference
Framework for Sustainable Cities) which is a free
online toolkit to help cities promote, enhance and
share their work on integrated sustainable urban
development. The conurbation is aiming to go
even further by perfecting its project monitoring
systems through citizen participation in evaluating
foreseen strategic plans.
23
6 rue Saint-Michel › CS 41287
17086 La Rochelle Cedex 02 (France)
Tel. +33 (0)5 46 30 34 00 – Fax +33 (0)5 46 30 34 09
[email protected]
www.agglo-larochelle.fr
larochelleagglo
Décembre 2012 – Maquette et mise en page : antichambre / Photos : Fred Le Lan – Thierry Rambault (page 9) – Xavier Léoty pour l’IUT (page 12)