 First line of tramway : a tool for the urban regeneration of the city

1. a difficult social-economical background: Unemployment, socials problems (low level of health, alcoolism..), Hainaut was the only area in France classified « Objective 1 » FEDER. Wasted land in the heart of the city, damaged urban infrastructures,(linked to the closing of coal mines and steelworks industry in the 80’s)

 Beyond the launching of the first line of tramway and the associated transportation policy, the initial will of the territory ( Siturv, city of Valenciennes and intercomunal structure « Valenciennes Metropole ») was to use the tramway as a tool to rationalise urban planning et restaure social cohesion in a territory in crisis

 This approach, mixing transportation and urbanism results from our history :  In the 60’s and 70’s, removal of most tramway networks in France (contrary to Belgium for instance).  Towns have put in place bus networks (considered as a modern way of transportation at that time!)

 Thats why, in the 80/90’s, when a few cities reinstaured the tramway in France, the whole concept of urban tram had to be reinvented.  Therefore the new concept was mainly to use tramways to structure cities. Urban projects were defined trhough the tramway  The new concept lead the transportation policy of Valenciennes

1st line territorial impacts in Valenciennes

 Tramway :  Contributed to reshape the territory:  Urban renewal of 70 % of public space in the center of Valenciennes  Urban renewal along the tramway path (« de façade à façade »)  Total renewal of the center of Denain

 Offered the territory a new positive image and a better quality of life to its inhabitants. Now it appears as the symbol of the city ( postals cards for instance)  tool of territorial marketing  Insuflated a new dynamism to all cities linked by the tram (urban renewal, private real estate…)  In Valenciennes, the tramway is more a tool which helped the renewwal of the city than a mean of transport in itself  Since 1989, 463 millions of Euros from FEDER injected in Valenciennes!

Denain

 Tramway has helped the new vitality on the territory  The building of the tramway happened at the same time as the renewal of the local economy : it seems to be the trigger of the renewal of the city  economic activity has been rekindled through automobile production, railway industry (European Railway Agency, Alstom, Bombardier and suppliers, worldwide cluster “ITRANS”…), the University of Valenciennes and, in 2006, a new city tramway  Is tramway a tool to boost economy?

 First line of tramway meant many new urban projects. The most emblematic:  Les Jardins de Valmont former waste land of 12 ha in the heart of the city of Anzin (only1,5 km from the train station of Valenciennes!)  This landscape project deals with housings,public building, shops and offices around the former castle Dampierre (19th century)  The whole urban project is structurated around the line of tramway and the interchange place (P+R, buses)

 SITURV has received some more money because future services of bus Will serve some particular parts of towns.  Those parts are classified as a priority by the french state (ANRU)

 « Les rives de l’Escaut »: former Vallourec Mannesman factory, in front of the station of Valenciennes along the Escaut: