At Renn, welcoming more residents is a balancing act

An example of an “archipelago-city” preserving its green belt, Rennes builds taller and taller to accommodate its new arrival.

But the pace of construction sites is fueling collective opposition from citizens condemning the “frantic urbanization” that is detrimental to the living environment.

“This is not New York here!” », இல்லை No hell tower! “At the entrance to the Rennes, a dozen banners hung on the facades of small houses express the annoyance of the residents at the arrival of the 17-story tower.

“We have nothing against it, we have nothing against it.

Further east, another group, “See the Sky in Renaissance,” is trying to “lose” the 15-story building. “As in the 1960s, we build without consultation wherever we want. People are afraid of too much concrete because houses are falling like hot cakes,” resident Philip was taken aback.

Some also complain about traffic congestion. “The city I was born in can no longer be identified on a human scale. There is not much fluidity in traffic, and tensions between citizens are increasing,” said Judge Franசois, 44, a member of the Coudurr Coalition (united for a fair urban density in Renn). He called for a public debate on the “crazy growth of the metropolis” and for a break from plans to “disrupt the environment.”

According to INSEE, the city of Rennes has been experiencing “strong population growth” for 30 years and is expected to have an additional 100,000 population by 2040.

With these forecasts and 22,000 requests for community housing pending, the city is planning 30,000 new housing units by 2028.

“The real question is, we need 30,000 homes + but we know how far a city can be uninhabitable,” said Jean-Pierre Renault, president of the Les amis du Rennes Heritage Association. ”.

– Shock –

“Rennes is the life of its surroundings with a large suburban fabric, where a certain irregularity reigns. But when the city is built at full speed, you can make mistakes and never respect compatibility with the environment,” the architect continues, ” Fears monopoly of sizes and “loss of bears” of residents.

According to Alain Bénesteau, director of Audiar, a Rennes urban planning company, the city of Rennes is half as dense as its Nantes cousin. “Student segregation and parental evacuation, but the occurrence of disorder with the aging of the population, means that more homes with an equal population are needed,” he explains.

Added to this is the dynamic population due to the city’s attractiveness and the positive immigration balance, which is due to the low unemployment and the TGV to the beach and Paris.

“Of the 5,000 New Year’s citizens, 2,800 are from the natural balance,” recalls PS Hark, the first deputy PS for urban planning, recalling that density is “a marginal surface, but most visible on key axes”.

“Rennes should be the first to stay because Ile-de-France residents represent only 10% of real estate transactions,” the elected official assured. He acknowledges that the city’s vertical growth could be “a shock.”

In order to improve the consultation, a charter encourages developers to inform the public before submitting a building permit. “We are trying to meet some of the demands,” Mark Herv assures.

Rennes faced a rise in real estate prices – + 11% a year in the old sector – however, there was no question of stopping the building. “Everyone can find homes, especially low-income ones, because we need all the businesses,” warns Jean-Yves Sabuiz, a former city planning assistant.

Ana Zohier, for the tradition of the former elected UDB (Breton Democratic Union, Autonomous), said, “We need to reconsider the concept of metropolitan areas.”

“We focus and then complain about the density. Today, the question arises of better distribution of economic activity to better distribute to citizens,” he argues.