The Cité créative is a mixed-use urban redevelopment project on the former École d’Application de l’Infanterie (EAI) site in Montpellier, in southern France. The site lies about 10 minutes’ walk southwest of the city centre and includes the former military grounds and Parc Montcalm. The City of Montpellier entrusted the project’s development to SA3M, while West 8 was appointed master planner and urban designer after winning the redevelopment competition in 2012.111
Covering about 40 hectares, the project combines renovation of existing buildings with new construction. Its programme includes housing, schools, a crèche, shops, workplaces and public spaces, with a particular focus on cultural and creative industries. Plans cited by the City include 2,200 homes and 35,000 square metres of economic activity and local retail; an earlier project overview described a target of 2,500 homes.26
The Halle Tropisme, in a former military mechanical workshop, opened in January 2019 as an early cultural and business hub. The cooperative illusion & macadam was selected to organise and manage the venue.43 The ESMA-led Campus Créatif began operating in 2020, adding education in the creative industries to the neighbourhood.4 Parc Montcalm is also being redeveloped, with public amenities and a role in managing stormwater.1
The project was authorised as a ZAC (concerted development zone) by the municipal council on 25 June 2012. The first phase has brought housing and public facilities alongside creative-industry spaces, while the wider plan links living, working, education, sport and leisure.121