The Écoquartier du Sycomore is a large urban development on the eastern side of Bussy-Saint-Georges, in Seine-et-Marne, France. The public development agency EpaMarne is delivering the project in partnership with the municipality. The development zone covers 117 hectares and is planned to include 4,500 homes, 3,500 m² of shops and services, public facilities and green spaces.1
The ZAC, or concerted development zone, was created in 2008. In 2009, EpaMarne, the municipality and the French state signed an eco-neighbourhood agreement, and the housing target was revised from 1,650 to 4,500 homes. Operational development began in October 2012.2 The programme includes three school groups, a collège, an international school, a medical centre, two gymnasiums, an athletics track, a media library, a care home for older people and places of worship.1
The housing mix is intended to include social and intermediate-rent homes alongside homes for purchase. The project’s stated programme allocates 25% of housing to social housing and 10% to social or more affordable purchase.1 More than 1,800 homes had been delivered by the time of the article’s publication in April 2024.1
On 11 April 2024, Guillaume Kasbarian, then minister delegate for housing, visited the development to review construction progress and its contribution to housing supply. Laurent Girometti, director general of EpaMarne-EpaFrance, is identified in the article in that role.1 The project’s development timeline gives an approximate completion horizon of 2028.2