search
×
menu
login
donate
R-Urban
Colombes, France
follow
share on:mail linkcopy link to clipboardShare via LinkedInShare via TwitterShare via FacebookShare via Facebook
Community engagement for sustainable urban living.

image: R-urban | © all rights reserved
i
Category:
meeting place
Phase:
in use
Updated:
17 June 2014
introduction

Between May and August 2008, a research was conducted by atelier d’architecture autogérée (AAA) to investigate strategies that could lead to ecological, economic, and social change on both local and global scale. With the idea to intervene in an existing urban social fabric, AAA sought to work in an interstitial location to introduce collective practices in the everyday life of the citizens. Through a process of establishing collectively-run facilities, people can generate local resources to involve local business, and together build up a sustainable and ecological urban community.

This strategy was proposed to the municipality of Colombes and was met with great interest. Rather than playing a role as the client, the municipality soon became the partner together with other local organizations. Different from the top-down, bureaucratic planning process, R-urban was initiated by this cooperative team to enable the three pilot cases: AgroCité, RecycLab, and EcoHab - the first focuses on urban agriculture and pedagogy; the second on recycling, eco-construction, and social economy; and the last one on cooperative housing.

R-urban is probably not the first project to focus on sustainable urban living, but one of the few that directly involves its stakeholders in the process of making and creating their daily environment, with a strong civic engagement on practicing the ecological R’s, such as recycling, reusing, repairing, re-thinking, etc.

read more >
< read less
cultural and social context

Colombes is a suburban town near Paris with a population of 80,000, with a high rate of unemployment but a vibrant culture of civic activity – there are 450 non-profit organizations, showing a strong civic engagement and the fact that the inhabitants' are willing to contribute.

R-Urban is thus focusing on engaging the active inhabitants, utilizing a bottom-up strategy that allowed for citizens to directly contribute to urban living through sustainable measures and through participation in decision making. Citizens can participate to establish a collectively practice, such as contributing to the garden, working in the shop, and deciding as a community what tasks they will take on.

There are educational opportunities, with cooking, gardening, and construction classes offered alongside the building activities. This allows the community to learn and be fully involved in the success and future growth of Colombes. The process of cultivating the land and the programs not only creates more local resources, local production, job opportunities, but also enhances the sense of ownership and social capital for a community of resilience.

The city and outside community itself is focused on sustainability, instituting programs such as Agenda 21 to promote recycling and environmental education. While R-Urban was designed to forgo the slow pace of central government, the city has taken strides to incorporate sustainability into its growth.

cultivating the urban wasteland.

image: R-urban | © all rights reserved
i
the Agrocité, namely the first of three R-Urban project sites in Colombes.

image: R-urban | © all rights reserved
i
read more >
< read less
materials and building techniques

R-Urban consists of three test/pilot projects, each focusing on one major aspect to generate social, economic and ecological assets, including: recycling and eco-construction; civic urban agricultural; and ecological cooperative housing.

The first, Agrocité is a set of buildings and structures dedicated to ecological agriculture. The urban ag civic area boasts an educational garden, a shared garden for residents, and an experimental garden for new theories and methods to be tested. Citizens can grow their own food, learn new recipes, and share their harvest with neighbors, creating resilient and self sufficient agricultural consumption.

Recyclab, is a unit meant to use creative ways and thinking to repurpose objects that would normally be thrown away. Through workshops, local events, and a lab for advanced technology, Recyclab aims to achieve environmental improvements through these new and green urban practices.

The final unit, Ecohab, will be a unit of seven socially mixed housing apartments. The goal is to have inhabitants live green and share natural resources. This is in the process of being built.

under construction

image: R-urban | © all rights reserved
i
read more >
< read less
earth and climate

This city of Colombes is a northwestern suburb of Paris, with a population of 83,220. It’s elevation is 23-44 m and is 7.81 km2. Like its big city neighbor, Colombes has generally cool winters and mild summers, with occasionally strong, dry, and cold winds from the north. The summer months bring lots of sun, while towards the end of fall and through winter it stays darker longer.

image gallery
R-Urban: : Agrocité, one of the three projects.

image: R-urban | © all rights reserved
i
Building of Agrocité

image: R-urban | © all rights reserved
i
Agrocite

image: R-Urban | © all rights reserved
i
Agrocite

image: R-Urban | © all rights reserved
i
Recyclab

image: R-Urban: recycle lab | © all rights reserved
i
Recycle lab

image: R-urban | © all rights reserved
i
Compost

image: R-urban | © all rights reserved
i
Urban agriculture

image: R-urban | © all rights reserved
i
technical drawings
R-Urban Pilot Facilities

image: AAA | © all rights reserved
i
R-Urban Principles

image: AAA | © all rights reserved
i
R-urban

image: AAA | © all rights reserved
i
Location
show earth plate boundarieshide earth plate boundaries
Explore more inspirations
Keyword:
local resources (101)
community practice (113)
recycled recources (48)
participation (113)
urban garden (11)
prev
  •  recreation & sport
    Takasugi-an
    Chino, Japan
  •  emergency shelter
    Low-cost modular housing scheme
    Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
  •  meeting place
    Villanueva Public Library
    Villanueva, Colombia
  •  housing
    cappadocia cave dwellings
    cappadocia, Turkey
  •  housing
    Palmyra house
    Nandgaon, India
  •  meeting place
    Esperanza
    El Cabuyal, Ecuador
  •  housing
    E.V.A. Self build eco-village
    Pescomaggiore, Italy
  •  education
    Maosi primary school
    Maosi, China
  •  education
    Tongo school
    Tongo, Mali
  •  housing
    Mousgoum dwellings
    Pouss, Cameroon
  •  meeting place
    Sidi Amor’s eco-village for arts and crafts
    Ariana, Tunisia
  •  emergency shelter
    Soe Ker Tie House
    Ban Tha Song Yang, Thailand
  •  meeting place
    wNw Bar
    thu dau mot, Vietnam
  •  housing
    Bahia house
    Salvador, Brazil
  •  emergency shelter
    Reed house
    Lake Titicaca, Peru
  •  education
    Pani community centre
    Rajarhat, Bangladesh
  •  work & business
    Bamboo factory Bali
    Bali, Indonesia
  •  education
    Thon Mun Community Centre
    Takeo, Cambodia
  •  housing
    Entre Muros House
    Tumbaco, Quito, Ecuador
  •  emergency shelter
    Bamboo Dome Structure
    Ramsar, Iran
  •  health & sanitation
    Salam Center for Cardiac Surgery
    Soba, Sudan
  •  meeting place
    Liyuan Library
    Jiao jie he (交界河村), China
  •  emergency shelter
    Living Tebogo
    Johannesburg, South Africa
  •  health & sanitation
    Safe Haven Bathhouse
    Ban Tha Song Yang, Thailand
  •  housing
    Río Cedro House
    Río Cedro, Colombia
  •  housing
    Homemade mud house
    Dinajpur, Bangladesh
  •  recreation & sport
    Geometric Hot Springs
    Villarica National Park, Chile
  •  education
    Gando Primary School
    Gando, Burkina Faso
  •  health & sanitation
    Butaro hospital
    Burera, Rwanda
  •  housing
    Turf houses
    Keldur, Iceland
  •  infrastructure
    Community Bamboo Footbridge
    Davao City, Philippines
  •  housing
    "After the rain comes..."
    Msitu wa Tembo, Tanzania
  •  emergency shelter
    Pallet Garage
    Indianapolis, U.S.A.
  •  meeting place
    Palomino, Building a Society.
    Palomino, Colombia
  •  religion & memorial
    Wenzai True Jesus Church-Our Pray Room
    Changhua, Taiwan
  •  housing
    Ciudadelas de Paz - Building for Peace
    Manaure, Cesar, Colombia
  •  urban planning
    Parque El Óvalo - Pamplona Alta (Lima, Perú)
    Lima, Peru
  •  education
    Adharshila School Extension Project
    Agara Village, Sheopur District, Madhya Pradesh, India
  •  education
    Ali Apple Elementary School
    Ali, China
  •  housing
    Juan Hippolito House
    San Pedro Apostol, Mexico
  •  housing
    Le Village Noir
    Gatlang, Nepal
  •  emergency shelter
    Temporary Dormitories for Mae Tao Clinic
    Mae Sot, Thailand
  •  meeting place
    (CON)VIVENCIAS
    Lima, Peru
  • play
     work & business
    Eco-brick goes MUD!
    Arusha, Tanzania
  •  education
    Community School in N'Tyeani
    N'tyeani, Mali
  •  recreation & sport
    Cerro Mirador
    San Carlos, Venezuela
  •  health & sanitation
    Kapuna Hospital
    Kapuna, Papua New Guinea
  •  education
    Community Learning Centre in Pasman Tol
    Pasman Tol, Nepal
  •  housing
    A Casa de Abuela Cuentacuentos
    Escobilla, Mexico
  •  education
    P'Yan School Project
    Mae Sot, Thailand
  •  meeting place
    Jabu Centre
    Siteki, Swaziland
  •  housing
    Post-Tsunami Rehabilitation
    Kirinda, Sri Lanka
  •  meeting place
    Kazi na Bobo - community shop built with plastic bottles
    Msitu wa Tembo, Tanzania
  •  meeting place
    CICADA
    Taipei, Taiwan
  •  education
    Bamboo Alternative School
    Bogor, Indonesia
  •  housing
    Kampung Kali Chode, Yogyakarta
    Yogyakarta, Indonesia
  •  infrastructure
    Infrastructure to support the indigenous community
    Santo Angelo, Brazil
  •  recreation & sport
    sport clubhouse Kalobeyei, Kenya
    Kalobeyei, Kenya
  •  housing
    Batak Toba Houses
    Lake Toba, Indonesia
  •  education
    LA VIEJA
    Montebello, Cali, Colombia
  •  education
    Bamboo Kindergarten
    Tasikmalaya, Indonesia
  •  housing
    Open Source House Pilot
    Cape Coast, Ghana
  •  education
    Upgrading of Nile River School
    South of Giza governorate, Egypt
  •  education
    Kusikuna Eco-Active School
    Apote - Tiquipaya, Bolivia
  •  education
    Children's Centre XEWA SOWE
    Village of Sowé (Glazoué), Benin
  • finalist 2016
     education
    ModSkool
    New Delhi, India
  •  infrastructure
    Community School in Darmang, Ghana
    Damang, Ghana
  •  meeting place
    Community Learning Center Corralones
    Sacaba, Bolivia
  •  housing
    Naust paa Aure
    Aure, Norway
  • play
     housing
    Orphanage for former streetboys
    Nairobi, Kenya
  • play
     meeting place
    StadtGoesFuture-Culthäusle
    Filderstadt-Plattenhardt, Germany
  •  education
    Trade School in Guatemala
    Cerro la Granadilla (San Raimundo), Guatemala
  •  meeting place
    Community Center in Jatimulyo
    Yogyakarta, Indonesia
  • GC2022 finalist
     work & business
    The Women's House of Imloul
    Imloul, Morocco
  •  recreation & sport
    Sport City
    Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico
  • play
     health & sanitation
    Kamuna agricultural rehabilitation centre
    Kamuna, Cankuzo, Burundi
  •  housing
    Rural Housing Development Program
    Chitrawad, Gujarat, India
  •  education
    Njoro Children's Library
    Mailisita, Kilimanjaro , Tanzania
  •  education
    Transforming Learning Spaces in Rwanda
    Muhanga, Rwanda
  •  housing
    CASA RANA
    Tamil Nadu, India
  •  meeting place
    Palomino Border
    Palomino, Guajira, Colombia
  •  infrastructure
    Bamboo Bridge in Solo
    Solo, Indonesia
  •  housing
    BAMBÚ SOCIAL
    El Rama, Nicaragua
  •  emergency shelter
    SBAM.it 2011
    Massarosa-Stiava (LU), Italy
  • play
     meeting place
    Sunzu Village Community Center
    Burera, Rwanda
  • play
    GC2022 finalist
     education
    Book House
    China
  • GC2021 finalist
     agriculture & fisheries
    Cocina CoLaboratorio
    Ejido Loma Bonita, Mexico
  • GC2021 finalist
     education
    A School Built By the People, For The People
    Jorhat, India
  •  health & sanitation
    Hygiene Station for Cattlefield Village School
    Yunnan, China
  •  meeting place
    Farmers' Innovation Center (BLF)
    Angangba (Nagaland), India
  •  meeting place
    Tusen Restaurante
    Ramundberget, Sweden
  •  education
    Impact Pavilion Ibadan: Connect, Learn, Thrive
    Alaka Community, Ojoo, Ibadan, Nigeria
  •  meeting place
    Iche_Food for thought: a hub for glocal innovation
    San Vicente, Ecuador
  •  education
    Jubilant Tree School
    Moshi, Tanzania
  •  housing
    House of Plenty
    Nijmegen, Netherlands
  •  education
    Training Center for Mae Tao Clinic
    Mae Sot, Thailand
  •  work & business
    Sembalun Bamboo Youth Development Centre
    Lombok, Indonesia
  •  education
    Bamboo Panyaden School
    Chiang Mai, Thailand
  •  infrastructure
    Taxi Rank
    Magagula Heights, Katlehong, South Africa
  •  urban planning
    The Self-made Dwelling
    Dharavi, India
  •  education
    Ithuba Community College
    Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, South Africa
next