Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur Eco Valley
Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur: 1st « Métropole » in France
Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice and President for Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur said: « After the founding, 1st January 2012, of Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur, leading among cities in France, we now have a new tool for regional land-use governance which will enable us to rise to today’s economic challenges and be competitive with other large European cities. The diversity of the region, which extends from the shores of the Mediterranean to the summits of Mercantour national park, is one of our major advantages in the pursuit of successful economic expansion. I have pledged, along with our entire team of elected officials and regional partners, to define a strategy for development over the next 20 years which is perfectly in line with the stakes which underlie this exceptional site – a strategy based on fostering land conservation, innovation and a new model for territorial and urban progress, stemming in particular from Éco-Vallée, a Operation of National Interest (OIN), in order to make Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur (46 towns) a showcase for tomorrow’s France. »
Along with the rise of this exceptional metropolitan area has come a process of change. Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur is harking back to its roots, seeking to preserve its values, but also to foreshadow a city for tomorrow, while creating jobs for the future. Through restored quality of life, which has drawn attention internationally, and by embarking on a strategy of sustainable innovation, Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur hopes to become one of the world’s most cosmopolitan areas.
The future of Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur depends first of all on the preservation of an outstanding heritage which has seen it rise to the number two spot in terms of tourist traffic in France. Its intermodal transport scheme underlies non-polluting operations and has as an objective to reduce by 30% its greenhouse gas emissions. Our “Agenda 21” programme, based on 50 pragmatic projects, empowers the region with a clear strategy for sustainable development. The future eco-friendly industrial park in Éco-Vallée and the so-called « Coulée Verte » (green parkway), being built in the heart of the City of Nice, are both testament to our will to bring nature back to our cities.
In order to strengthen attraction for business tourism, an exhibition complex, covering 75,000 sqm, is set to rise in the Grand Arénas district, ideally located next to the city’s international airport (the second busiest in France) and close by a future multimodal station, which will interconnect train, tramway and bus traffic
The economic change which is sweeping Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur also has as its objective to improve day-to-day quality of life for permanent residents by putting at their disposal convenient cultural and sports installations, but also retail businesses and housing programmes which favour shared urban development.
International and sustainable, Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur has always been an innovative region. Today, it boosts its exceptional advantages and confirms its place as a major region in France, Europe and the Mediterranean basin, by investing in innovative fields, such as information and communication technologies, health, energy independence, risk management, mobility and more.That way, seven competitiveness clusters have been set up and gather together major corporations
like IBM, Veolia and Virbac, but also many small- and mid-sized companies, breathing new life into urban and economic development in Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur in synergy with Éco-Vallée.
At Mipim, Nice was presenting its town of tomorrow, and Mr Estrosi, unveiling the name of the winner (Christian Devillers) of the techno-cluster Nice-Méridia project urban management, said: "Up until today, no major site in Nice has been specifically for technopolis activities. Just so, it is an emerging paradigm shift which defines the Nice Méridia project. Although the first operational tranche only covers 26 ha, the final scope of the project will span 200 ha."
Nice Meridia
Nice Meridia
