Towards a qualitative regeneration of urban territories
Ecoparc Neuchâtel © Bauart / Y. André
On the occasion of the recent release of the book “Neighbourhoods in Transition”, published by Springer, Prof. Emmanuel Rey and Dr. Sophie Lufkin, scientific collaborator at the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST), were invited to share their expertise in the framework of the radio program “Vacarme”, broadcast on La Première.
The vocation of the program “Vacarme” is to narrate components of contemporary life in their sonic, singular, complex and surprising dimensions. In this perspective, its reporters prepare each week five stories about a specific question. The reports relate life paths, relay ideas and support the emergence of reflections.
Last week’s theme focused on the densification of territories and on options aiming at conciliating the transition towards sustainability and quality of life in urban contexts. Global warming, the need for new housing and the protection of agricultural land and natural habitats are a complex equation for all built environment stakeholders. Urban planners, architects and public authorities are in the first line of addressing these complex challenges and managing multiple objectives, not necessarily converging, involving the civil society more and more closely.
In this context, the regeneration of urban territories is an essential dimension of the transition. It lies at the heart of multiple research works conducted at LAST. Realized in the Ecoparc neighborhood in Neuchâtel, Emmanuel Rey’s interview illustrated several issues related to the regeneration process of a former urban brownfield. For her part, Sophie Lufkin was invited to share her observations at the closing program, entitled “Les Echos de Vacarme”, which revisited various themes addressed in the series of stories.
Emmanuel Rey, Martine Laprise, Sophie Lufkin, Neighbourhoods in Transition. Brownfield Regeneration in European Metropolitan Areas, The Urban Book Series, Springer, 2021 (open access).