The 290-acre mixed-use community on the outskirts of Paris includes residential neighborhoods, commercial, cultural, and institutional facilities as well as parking structures, a Metro station, a bus terminal, and a 1.2 million square foot retail center. Located on existing TGV, Regional, and Metro rail lines, the plan promotes use of rail transportation over vehicular commuting and uses the rail lines to attract concentrated development away from threatened farmlands. Drawing on the best examples of traditional French town planning and landscape design, a framework of boulevards, streets, and large and small squares and parks defines four distinct neighborhoods and a town center. Val d'Europe has received awards from the American Institute of Architects, the Fondation Philippe Rotthier, the Urban Land Institute, and the Congress for the New Urbanism.






