Toulouse is a thriving hub for new infrastructure, especially in the transport sector. Toulouse is the fourth largest city in France and its investment in large infrastructure projects is part of its strategy to take over Marseilles and move up into the top 3. So, as we move into the 2020 decade here are a few of the many projects you can expect to see soon in Toulouse.
The Meett
I drive by this centre often so trust me when I say its is HUGE! It can hold up to 10,000 people and is the 3rd largest exhibition centre in France. The centre replaces the very outdated exhbition centre on L'Isle de Ramier and the Zénith in Toulouse but still offers good connection with an extension of the T1 Tramway and extension of the D902. It has 7 individual halls some of which are modular to offer even larger spaces. We can expect to see range of events ranging from larger music performances to aerospace conferences. The centre should open on the 11th September, but with coronavirus that is still uncertain.
Téléo
Tisséo, the transport company for Toulouse is constructing a
new cable car line. It will connect Oncopole to Université Paul Sabatier in 10 minutes. That means it will span 3 km to be the longest urban cable car in France. It reduces the time from 40 minutes which it takes in a car. The 35 cabins will be designed by Paolo Pininfarina, designer for Ferrari, Porsche and Maserati. The line will open in Summer 2021, meaning Toulouse will join cities like Barcelona and New York for using cable car as a public transport method.
3rd Metro Line
The current two metro lines have both high density stops (in the centre of town) but also go further out into the suburbs so people can get around the town for commerce but also commute for work. The 3rd line stretches from Colomiers Gare to Labege but also has branches off to the airport and to Ramonville. The project aims to be complete in 2025 and will cost 2.67 billion euros; the funding for this will come from both Métropole and the Haute Garonne région.
Tour occitanie
This project is currently up in the air as there is large debate whether it would be obtrusive or whether it is safe to build with the Line A that runs underneath it. But, if its confirmed and built for 2022, it will be 153.5 metres high and placed next to Matabiau Station. Whilst it will mostly accommodate offices, it will also host a Hilton Hotel, a roof-top bar and shops on the ground floor.
New Matabiau Station
Along with the tower comes a redevelopment of the whole district. The main objective of this project is to urbanize the district, with greenery being the goal of the project. This project aims to bring 300,000 m² of offices, 2,000 new homes and 50,000 m² of shops by 2024. The redevelopment of the station itself would make transferring to Ligne A or the 3rd metro line much easier. Watch the video (from SNCF Gares & Connexions) below to see their plans!
MONTAUDRAN AEROSPACE
The renovations to the Montaudran district aim to convert it into a new hub for Research & Development in Aerospace. It will not only have labs and offices, but 80,000m² of high rise residential area as well as shops and leisure centres, including a sports centre and a cinema. The project has been underway since 2012 and hopes to be finished in 2021.
L'Isle de Ramier Renovations
A long-term project in Toulouse is to renovate the leisure sector of Toulouse by 2030. L'Isle de Ramier is home to the exposition centre, a large pool, the football stadium and other leisure activities but that is soon to change...
The former exposition centre will be knocked down as it has been replaced by the MEETT and that space will be transformed into a botanical garden. The island will also be home to large new green areas such a picnic grounds and general park areas.
Leisure buildings for BMX and skate park will be installed. The island will become fully cyclist friendly and boat service will run to transport people onto and around the island.
Anyone at IST thinking of doing an EE in Geography over the next few years looking at the issues of urban change - here are you potential case studies! Thanks Harry, a really great article about our locality and how Toulouse is trying to modernise and to continue to attract investment.