City-to-City Exchange: Lille and Turin mutually inspired by their urban transformation projects
The reconversion of the brownfields along the rivers is one of the main challenges that the Lille European Metropolis is currently tackling. The transformation of one of these areas along the Deûle River into a new metropolitan park seems particularly ambitious because can serve as an example for the creation of other multifunctional sustainable spaces in a region still deeply affected by deindustrialization.
Drawing inspiration from similar strategies applied by other cities in Europe appeared as an interesting solution to integrate the planning process with fresh ideas on innovative functions, management systems and resources for implementing the project.
The metropolitan authority of Lille decided to apply to the EUI City-to-City Exchanges with a proposal on urban transformation, river reconquest and park creation aimed at exploring the initiatives for the reconversion of former industrial sites carried out by the city of Turin along its rivers. Turin was chosen as peer city mostly because it conducted an integrated process of urban regeneration which made the areas surrounding its waterways test beds for innovative nature-based solutions implemented in collaboration with the local community.
The visits to Turin and Lille
In November 2023, a delegation composed of four officials of the Lille European Metropolis and, at their own costs, three mayors of the municipalities crossed by the Bords de Deûle 2040 park project carried out the first three-day visit to Turin.
The dense programme of field visits gave the opportunity to explore iconic places of the post-industrial transformation of the Turin’s riversides, such as the Dora Park which transformed a former car manufacturing district into an urban park along the Dora River.
The visit of the Lille delegation to Turin was also an important opportunity to learn more about other EU co-funded projects carried out along the riverside areas, such as the UIA ToNite project which fostered the safety of public spaces in two areas located along the Dora River, but also to explore the vibrant civic engagement initiatives active at the neighbourhood level.
In January 2024, the delegation of Turin visited the metropolitan area of Lille with a focus on the regeneration of former industrial areas and initiatives promoting urban greening and sustainability.
The visit to Fives Cail, a 25-hectare brownfield turned into an eco-district, highlighted some of the most interesting experiences carried out in the framework of the UIA TAST’in’FIVES project which fostered sustainable urban farming while creating new shared spaces for the local community.
A boat tour along the Deûle River provided a vivid overview of the main challenges in terms of sustainable development in the municipalities crossed by the Bords de Deûle project, which are struggling between regeneration of underused areas and environmental transition.
The visit to different spots of the metropolitan area of Lille was also important for showcasing the diversity of solutions implemented in an area that made the revitalization of brownfield and industrial sites a cornerstone for promoting new services for social and economic growth.
Key learning points
The regulatory tools for enhancing civic engagement and collaborative management of green areas, the integrated strategies for promoting innovative projects of urban regeneration through the use of EU funding, and the collaboration between public and private sectors for the creation of new services emerged as the main points of interest that Lille took from Turin’s experience.
“Looking at what Turin did, we understand that we are heading in the right direction. We saw great examples of collaboration with residents and civil society, which gave us useful suggestions on different models of collaborative management of public spaces and how to improve cooperation with the private sector to pursue the change we want to see in Bords de Deûle” says Dominique Legrand, mayor of Marquette-lez-Lille.
The mechanisms of institutional collaboration among the municipalities of the Lille metropolitan area and the strategies combining urban regeneration and promotion of biodiversity and green areas through temporary uses of public spaces and infrastructures were seen by the Turin delegation as important lessons to be drawn from the visit to Lille.
“The city-to-city exchange with Lille was important for comparing different cultures of public governance, and we aim to continue this exchange of knowledge after the end of the project, involving other urban and metropolitan areas facing similar challenges” says Francesco Tresso, deputy mayor for public parks and riverbanks of Turin.
The support offered by moderator and EUI Secretariat
Lille European Metropolis and Turin had the support of a moderator, chosen from a list provided by the EUI Secretariat, who assisted them in fine-tuning the agenda and facilitated the meeting process to foster the active engagement of all the participants and support them in highlighting key learning points and future paths of collaboration.
The EUI Secretariat also offers support to the applicants to identify peer cities for developing exchange proposals on challenges in sustainable urban development. You can read more and apply here.