Alexandra Dublanche, vice-president of Paris Region in charge of economic recovery and development, competitiveness and innovation, and chairwoman of the promotion agency Choose Paris Region, discusses the opportunities in the French capital ahead of Mipim and Paris 2024.

What long-term impact do you anticipate the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will have on Paris from an urban development and economic perspective? How will hosting Paris 2024 affect your investment promotion efforts?

Paris 2024 is an opportunity for a 360-degree experience of Paris Region, an opportunity to experience the area holistically through all its key sectors and themes, and draw inspiration from its way of life. Paris Region is making itself even more desirable in order to welcome the entire world.

The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games are one of the most closely followed sporting events in the world. Hosting Paris 2024 will shine worldwide light on to the Paris Region, which is already very popular with international tourists.

This international recognition means that more and more international investors may become interested in buying property in the French capital.

The North suburb of Paris, and in particular the Seine-Saint-Denis county, emerge as the big winners with regard to hosting Paris 2024. As a catalyst for redevelopment of the urban landscape, the Games will provide the county with six competition venues, as well as the Olympic Village. And post-Games, the districts of Saint-Denis, Ile Saint-Denis and Saint-Ouen will be completely rehabilitated over the next seven years.

Commercial real estate in Paris Region is also on the agenda: more than 1.48 million sq m of new office space has been planned in the Pleyel district of Saint-Denis. Public and private investors and real estate developers will have to work on existing infrastructure to minimise costs, as well as designing sustainable spaces and providing an intelligent real estate solution that combines housing, offices and retail space.

All these constructions and renovations will be designed for the post-Olympics period and will have a second life.

“Commitment to sustainability is becoming more than ever a decisive investment criterion, and underlines the growing importance of environmental ethics in the global business landscape.”

Alexandra Dublanche, Choose Paris Region

Preparations for the Games are closely linked to the Grand Paris urban planning project, which was launched 10 years ago. The delivery of three new metro lines and the extension of line 14, which are scheduled for 2024, played a major role in the Paris bid. The automation of public transportation remains an essential element for the development of commercial real estate in Paris Region.

From a sustainability perspective, ambitious environmental measures have been adopted for the design and construction of our real estate projects, including low-carbon construction, energy efficiency, scalability and sustainability.

Preservation of biodiversity is also a priority, with the creation of planted areas and environments that foster the development of the local fauna, rainwater management and cooling islands, all of which contribute to residents’ wellbeing.

How would you best summarise the Paris Region’s strategy for urban development? What role does Choose Paris Region play in shaping and implementing this strategy?

Choose Paris Region is Paris Region’s international attractiveness agency, which promotes its influence on the international stage, and provides a high-quality welcome and services to investors, visitors and talent from all over the world, while ensuring sustainable and balanced development.

At Choose Paris Region, our core mission is to assist international companies in their expansion plans. From initial decision-making to setting up, and every step in between, we provide market insights, connections, and resources to support companies that want to develop their business activities in France. From arrival and set-up to implementation and eventually to reinvestment, our goal is to help them take advantage of Paris Region’s exceptional talent and tech ecosystems to accelerate their growth and create jobs here.

Whether companies need a specific service regarding one aspect of their expansion, or full support throughout a project, we can help. Our services are free, confidential and customised. They can be accessed at any stage of a project, regardless of the size of the company or its level of development.

Commitment to sustainability is becoming more than ever a decisive investment criterion, and underlines the growing importance of environmental ethics in the global business landscape. We therefore pay particular attention to FDI that contributes to the ecological transition. Ultimately, our ambition is to provide a global overview of sustainable FDI flows.

The decarbonisation and ecological transition of the Paris metropolitan area is a key asset for the international attractiveness of our capital Region.

What kinds of investors or partners are you looking to engage with during Mipim 2024? 

Choose Paris Region is responsible for producing and organising Paris Region’s presence at Mipim 2024. The Grand Paris pavilion is a key venue for our international ecosystem.

It is aimed at promoting and attracting visitors to the Grand Paris region. Our pavilion at Mipim is set to welcome more than 6,500 visitors, which represents over a quarter of all the visitors at the show.

’Doing better with less‘ is still the vision that Choose Paris Region shares with its partners. This philosophy reflects the approach we have adopted in our territories, at a time when the energy and climate crises are driving us to accelerate the deployment of solutions that combine thoughtfulness and sustainability.

Paris Region at Mipim 2024

The main projects presented at the Grand Paris pavilion at Mipim 2024 include:

Olympic Aquatics Centre, Grand Paris Metropolitan Area
The only permanent facility to be built for the Olympics, the Aquatics Centre will be one of France’s largest urban solar farms, supplying all the building’s energy needs. Interior fittings will be made from bio-sourced or reclaimed materials.

Olympic and Paralympic Village, Plaine Commune
The Village will not just be a temporary residence for athletes, it’s a project for a new eco district and will be transformed into housing, student residences and community infrastructure. It will include 11,000 housing units, 120,000 sq m of offices, 3,200 sq m of retail space, a landscaped park, green spaces and a renovated gymnasium.

The Porte de la Chapelle Arena, known as the Adidas Arena
The only Paris 2024 venue built within the Paris city limits, the arena will host badminton, rhythmic gymnastics para-badminton and para-weightlifting. Post-Olympics it will become a sports facility, with an additional 27,986 sq ft of leisure and retail space in the district.

Other projects on show:

• Gare des Mines, City of Paris/Paris Metropolitan Area and Urban Planning
• Bardinet, City of Paris
• Saint Vincent de Paul, City of Paris/Paris Metropolitan Area and Urban Planning
• Tour Triangle, Unibail Rodamco
• Mobile and modular buildings as part of Temporary Urban Rooftops project, SNCF Immobilier