Towards new territorial synergies for places of knowledge
Within a context marked by the emergence of new synergies for territorial development, considerations related to the creation of public equipment occupy central stage. Bringing together practitioners, researchers and elected representatives in Divonne-les-Bains (France) on July 4, the 11th French-Swiss meeting of urban planners was dedicated to this current issue. Among the experts invited on this occasion, Prof. Emmanuel REY from the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST) gave a lecture presenting territorial synergies for the creation of places of knowledge based on the strategies experimented within the creation of Microcity in Neuchâtel. Indeed, from political birth to concrete realization, this new branch of EPFL is based on the creative search for partnership, optimization and innovation.
Very often, competition still governs the development of our metropolitan areas. In addition, the quest for pipe-dream equipment with senseless funding remains the leitmotiv of multiple territorial projects. In today’s finite world, where public financial resources are more and more limited, does the myth of territorial competition still have a future? How can tomorrow’s equipment - for research, innovation, culture or teaching - become the framework of a territorial project of solidarity? How can complementarity and cooperation reinforce and reveal the attractiveness of our cities and territories?
These questions were the focus of the 11th French-Swiss meeting of urban planners. Using concrete projects and more theoretical analyzes, urban designers, urban planners and researchers aimed to show that a renegotiated future is taking shape.
Illustrating operational issues of this type of approaches, Prof. Emmanuel Rey based his presentation on strategies experimented within Microcity project in Neuchâtel. From territorial reflections to operational details of realization, the approach ensured the global consistency of this new equipment, integrating diverse considerations such as institutional synergy, technological innovation, urban densification, high environmental quality, optimal use of resources and participatory governance.
These multiple lines of action have in common the notion of hybridization, which refers to the search for synergies and optimization by bringing together diverse entities, institutions, concepts, technologies and materials.