Quartiers métropolitains d'innovations

QMI, an "open-air laboratory" at the heart of Greater Paris

Since 2023, the Greater Paris Metropolis has been deploying the Quartiers Métropolitains d'Innovation scheme across its territory. One of Europe's largest urban experimentation projects and a first on a metropolitan scale, the "Quartiers Métropolitains d'Innovation" scheme is part of an overall strategy to support innovation in metropolitan communities. Voted for by the Metropolitan Council on 21 October 2022, this programme, operated by Paris&Co, offers participating municipalities the opportunity to host entrepreneurs (start-ups, associations, major groups, cooperatives, schools, citizens, designers, etc.) for 18 months of experimentation with innovative solutions for the benefit of their residents.

The ”Quartiers Métropolitains d’Innovation”, an experimental scheme designed for municipalities

Since February 2023, 4 local authorities in the Greater Paris region have taken part in the first edition of the programme: Aulnay-sous-Bois, Meudon, Noisy-le-Grand and Sceaux. On 23 October 2023, the Greater Paris Metropolitan Area renewed the scheme for a second edition. Six new municipalities will be joining the ranks: Athis-Mons, Aubervilliers, Argenteuil, Fontenay-sous-Bois, Issy-les-Moulineaux & Sucy-en-Brie. These ten municipalities have been selected for their ability to host experiments in innovative solutions and to accelerate their ecological and social transition. They have specific areas at play (e.g. railway station neighbourhoods, housing estates or suburban housing estates, logistics zones, shopping areas, urban enclaves, etc.), marked by priority urban challenges (e.g. urban divides, building sites, heat islands, etc.). This programme is run by the Greater Paris Metropolis in partnership with Paris&Co, Choose Paris Region, the Banque des Territoires and the Institut Paris Région. Throughout the programme, the local authorities are being guided, assisted and supported by teams from the Greater Paris Metropolis and Paris&Co to prepare the best possible conditions to host the experiments, select the most suitable sites in their area, help monitor the relationship with the entrepreneurs, and then evaluate the projects at the end of the 18-month deployment period.

Testing innovative solutions in response to key urban challenges

The aim of the innovative solutions will be to drive the transformation of uses and lifestyles within the innovation districts. To be selected, they must address one or more of the major urban challenges posed by the ecological, digital and social transition in dense urban areas :

• Upgrading public spaces and improving their management. Creating more desirable places, new local services, adapting street furniture, simplifying waste collection... •
• Adapting to climate change and improving the quality of urban ecosystems. Protecting life, planting vegetation, improving air quality, the role of water in the city, etc.
• Improving accessibility, active mobility and flow management. Low-carbon transport, intermodality, responsible logistics, traffic calming, links between neighbourhoods, facilitating pedestrian and cycle routes, etc. •
• Promoting the circular economy and sustainable waste management. Reuse, awareness-raising, development of local channels, etc.
• Boosting commercial appeal and local activity. Developing social links and inclusion...
• Anticipating and improving urban renewal projects. Reducing nuisances and disruptions, coordinating stakeholders, enabling transitory and temporary planning, etc •
• Accentuating the ecological and energy transition of buildings. Combating run-down housing, refurbishment and transformation of uses, etc.

The Quartiers Métropolitains d'Innovation programme is built on unprecedented collaboration between public players, private structures and the local fabric, with the aim of creating and perpetuating a shared culture of innovation and experimentation at the heart of Greater Paris. The scheme is part of a new approach to urban development: more cooperative, iterative and connected to users' needs.

Involving local stakeholders, a core issue for the programme

The Quartiers Métropolitains d'Innovation programme is based on unprecedented collaboration between public players, private structures and the local fabric, with the aim of creating and perpetuating a shared culture of innovation and experimentation at the heart of Greater Paris. The scheme is part of a new approach to urban design: more cooperative, iterative and connected to users' needs. That's why the programme has been designed around a multi-stakeholder, multi-expert approach. Historic partners have been working alongside the Metropolis since the beginning of the process:

• Paris&Co, the innovation agency for Paris and the metropolitan area, which runs the programme and is responsible for supporting the municipalities and experimenters. -
• Choose Paris Region, the attractivity agency of the Île-de-France region, in charge of supporting all projects with an international dimension.
• The Banque des Territoires, offering advice and expertise on project financing.
• The Institut Paris Region, responsible for carrying out sensitive assessments of innovation districts.

Major urban players are also partners in this programme, providing expertise to innovators and accelerating the scaling-up of projects: ADEME, Altarea, Citeo, Enedis, Groupe RATP, Paris Habitat, Paris & Métropole Aménagement, SEGRO, SEMAPA, Ville de Paris.