Aubervilliers and Saint-Dizier create first land twinning

The two cities, as well as the public development group of Ile-de-France, Grand Paris Aménagement, which is supporting the project, announced during a conference at Mipim (international market for real estate professionals) that they had selected the project from the developer Pichet, as part of a territorial solidarity partnership.

The aim of this "land alliance", the agreement for which was signed last May, is to force a developer who is eyeing land in Aubervilliers, whose proximity to Paris is a strong draw, to also build housing in Saint-Dizier, a medium-sized town in a rural department.

"It's been 30 years since any new non-social housing has been built in Saint-Dizier, because it's difficult to attract developers," defended Quentin Brière, mayor (LR) of this town, convinced that his "territory can only succeed by making alliances with other territories."

The selected project involves the construction of 93 housing units in Aubervilliers, which has a population of 90.000, and 56 housing units in Saint-Dizier, a sub-prefecture with a population of 23.000.

Between low sales prices, uncertainty over the presence of buyers and the crisis in the construction market, certain medium-sized towns are attracting less and less developers.

The submission of building permits is expected in the coming weeks, and construction in Aubervilliers will not be able to begin until work has started in Saint-Dizier, with the aim of complete delivery of the two housing lots "by 2027".

"This territorial solidarity mechanism, without financial transfer, does not encounter any legal, technical, or economic obstacles in its principles. It can be replicated elsewhere in France and could trigger a new way of building cities," believe the three stakeholders, who praise the simplicity of this solution.