Created in 1995 at the initiative of State and local governments, Euroméditerranée is a national interest program in urban rehabilitation and economic development in downtown Marseille.
The project extends over 480 hectares (1,185 acres) in the heart of Marseille and has developed into a major international business center including:
- La Joliette business district: a 22-hectare (55-acre) surface area, with 300,000 m² (over 3 million square feet) of floor space dedicated to offices and two hotels;
- Rue de la République: 5,000 residential units and 60,000 m² (650,000 square feet) of renovated floor space on the tramway line;
- Belle de Mai: 120,000 m² (1.3 million square feet) dedicated to culture and heritage, the second largest national center for production and distribution of audiovisual, music and interactive programs;
- St. Charles and Porte d'Aix: multimodal exchange center with a surface of 16 hectares (40 acres) under renovation around the TGV train station;
- Cité de la Méditerranée : 110 hectares (270 acres) of coastline will house, by 2012, the national Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (MuCEM), the Regional Center for the Mediterranean, the Terrasses du Port (leisure and shopping complex), Euromed Center (convention center, 4-star hotel and multiplex cinema designed by Luc Besson) and a 2200-seat auditorium.
Between 1995 and 2006, 18,500 jobs have been created and 725 businesses have opened offices, including Compass Group, Expedia Corporate Travel, DHL Express or Monster.
Ultimately, 500,000 m² (over 5 million square feet) of office floor space, 12,000 residential units and 200,000 m² (over 2 million square feet) of facilities will be built or rehabilitated and 20,000 jobs will be created.
Following the example of Bilbao, that gained international exposure with the construction of the prestigious Guggenheim Museum, Marseille has called on internationally famous architects for its flagship projects.
Among those projects, the new tower for the headquarters of CMA CGM (3rd largest shipping company in the world) is currently under construction and designed by Zaha Hadid, winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004.
Other projects to come include the SAS Sweden program, designed by four architects (Jean Nouvel, Yves Lion, Jean-Baptiste Piétri and Roland Carta), the MuCEM, designed by Rudy Ricciotti and Roland Carta, the Regional Center for the Mediterranean, created by Stefano Boeri and Euromed Center, designed by Massimiliano Fuksas.
For more information: www.euromediterranee.fr
