New phase for Paris La Défense
A new chapter is opening in the history of the district: Paris La Défense is setting a new strategic course for the territory and aims to make it the first post-carbon business district of global dimension.
Since the birth of La Défense at the end of the 1950s, the world has changed in many ways.
The first observation is that the transformation of La Défense into a real living district, as well as the current climatic and environmental challenges, require us to reconsider our way of living and building the city.
Second observation: the carbon footprint of the territory is too large, with emissions equivalent to those of a regional capital. More precisely, 1/3 of the carbon footprint comes from construction work, and 15% from the operation of the buildings alone.
Paris La Défense is charting a new course in line with contemporary social, societal and environmental requirements. Through its "raison d'être*", the establishment wishes to embody the vision of a low-carbon future for the territory and is committed to halving territorial greenhouse gas emissions by 2030**.
To achieve this, Paris La Défense will focus its actions on four main areas:
Eole construction sites at CNIT 2021 © Paris La Défense Benedite Topuz
Building better
Building a post-carbon business district requires building and renovating in a different and better way, in consultation with all the players involved in regional planning.
Ambiance Paris La Défense 2019 © Paris La Défense Augustin Detienne
Living better together
The post-carbon business district must also be a place where people live together better, in terms of use of space, diversity, mobility and quality of life.
La Défense towers 2021 © Paris La Défense Sabrina Budon
Collective intelligence for a post-carbon future
Paris La Défense is committed to setting an example to encourage a general dynamic in favour of this post-carbon movement.
Parvis and towers of La Défense 2021 © Paris La Défense Benedite Topuz
The ecological transition, everyone's business
The mobilisation of all the players in Paris La Défense on these environmental issues is necessary to guarantee the implementation of the first post-carbon business district.
These axes will be translated into a charter which will be offered for signature to all the stakeholders of Paris La Défense, both public and private.
The Pact Law (Action Plan for Growth and Transformation of Companies) requires all companies to "take into consideration the social and environmental issues of their activity", and suggests that the most proactive companies should ask themselves about their raison d'être, i.e. the "why" of their existence, and to include in their articles of association the "why" of their contribution to society, by associating social and environmental objectives and governance.
To go further
The Paris La Défense public establishment ║ Empreintes: a call for mixed-use, low-carbon urban projects ║ The history of Paris La Défense ║ Paris La Défense in figures