Exhibition ʺPlaces of Hopeʺ
Quartier Ecoparc © Y. André
The Ecoparc neighbourhood in Neuchâtel, developed by the architectural and urban design firm Bauart of which Prof. Emmanuel Rey, head of the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST), is one of the partners, is among the international selection of the exhibition ʺPlaces of Hopeʺ in Leeuwarden (NL), European Capital of Culture in 2018.
Initiated by the Urban Future Studio of the University of Utrecht, the exhibition presents a selection of "neighborhoods of the future" located around the world. Based on the analysis of a long list including more than a hundred pilot neighborhoods around the world, it presents 21 exemplary and inspiring projects for the future of urban territories. These neighborhoods were especially selected after a detailed analysis of their durability and their level of socio-cultural and ecological innovation. They present a wide range of solutions to the challenges of five key themes: mobility, energy, water, circularity, and inclusivity.
Les quartiers exposés sont situés en Europe, Amérique du Nord et en Asie : Aspern Seestadt in Wenen (AT), Vauban in Freiburg Im Breisgau (D), Hunziker Areal in Zurich (CH), Villiers Island in Toronto (CA), Harumidai in Sakai City (JP), Lokstadt in Winterthur (CH), Bahnstadt in Heidelberg (D), EcoBlock in Oakland (US), West Don Lands in Toronto (CA), Ile Seguin-Rives de Seine in Paris (F), Bo01 in Malmö (SWE), Kalasatama in Helsinki (FIN), Quartier Ginko in Bordeaux (F), Pearl District in Portland (US) Kronsberg in Hannover (D), Regent Park in Toronto (CA), Eco-Viikki in Helsinki (FIN), Hammarby Sjöstad in Stockholm (SWE), Ecoparc in Neuchâtel (CH), BedZED in Londres (UK), Nordhavn in Kopenhagen (DK).
Resulting from the regeneration of an urban brownfield located close to Neuchâtel train station, the Ecoparc project involved the creation of a new neighborhood at once dense, mixed (housing, work, education, local shops) and sustainable. The process consisted of both building new buildings and transforming old craft spaces. In a pioneering manner, a significant number of sustainability criteria have been incorporated into the dynamics of the urban and architectural project.