Rethink is an urban and architecture design consultancy in Paris, France, bringing together a team with expertise in urban and architectural design. A team that carries a vision and implement projects. > Architecture (research, studies, projects…) >Urban planning (design, projects, constructions…) (on what) The activities and tasks undertaken by the office are intentionally diverse, but can be divided in two main fields. We mainly work on sustainable transformation of urban fabrics, the development of metropolitan areas and the quality of public spaces, as well as the renovation and restructuring of existing buildings to new uses. This combination of different scales and geographical situations within the office is essential to take a critical look on the contemporary transformation of sites and territories as well as its local and global impacts. We look closely on how our societies occupy and use the surface of our earth in its close environment.

(Where, with whom) The agency is based in Paris and we are involved in the development of the Great Paris Region. The activity of the agency also focuses on cross-border and cross-cultural regions, such as the regions of Strasbourg and Geneva. The collaboration with professional partners in France and abroad enables to compose teams tailored to the specific project needs. We position ourselves as team acting in a network of complementary partners, open to sharing ideas and experience. (which countries) We operate abroad within an exchange network with foreign partners, for urban studies (Switzerland, Russia), urban planning workshops (Benin, Brazil, Vietnam, Russia) or seminars and conferences (Germany, Algeria, Ghana, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Russia). This allows us to consistently enrich our studies and projects with emerging innovative approaches and methods and post them on our blog: http://urbanplanet.info/

In 2050, the world will have more than six billion urban dwellers, two-thirds of humanity. Today 15% of humanity lives in slums. How many in 2050? How to provide housing? Human activities continue to degrade the natural environment. The current CO2 emissions trajectories lead towards a global warming closer by 4°C. The urban centres represent today up to 70% of the greenhouse gases emissions and the constant growth in demand and needs in surfaces, transport, energy and natural resources result in an unsustainable development, which has to be reverse.

Today we move from the era of „all car“ at a time when it reorganizes mobility rebuilding a city nearby. Cities are rediscovering active mobility (walking, cycling), climatic virtues of vegetation and water. The importance of public spaces at different scales, balancing an urban intensity. The future is towards multi-purpose neighbourhoods and buildings providing the opportunity to live, work and relax in the local environment without recourse to motorized travel. Neighbourhoods that foster social cohesion, which is essential for a balanced urban society.

With the metropolitanisation and spatial expansion, cities worldwide face with the need to develop their peripheral areas, to improve the quality of life there and to form a comfortable urban environment outside the city centre. It’s in the periphery that the major part of the urban populations is and will be living. These areas, often urbanized without coordination only to serve the needs of the city center, have to strengthen their own identity inside a new polycentric urban system. To design their future, we look for interesting and valuable characteristics, which we assume are hidden in these peripheral areas.

The development of circular exchange systems in architecture and urbanism is a reaction to the scarcity of raw materials, increased CO ² emissions and lack of social links. Instead of basing our environment on linear and barely sustainable systems, it comes to design synergies between different activities and resources at a local level. In addition to reducing the ecological footprint, it supports the encounter of the inhabitants and users, essential for every living territory. Such an approach was once considered marginal, but given the changes in attitudes towards the environment and energy, it has become accepted, even ordinary.

We are working on these issues with the aim to develop sustainable and resilient built environments, by adopting methods to reduce, reuse and recycle. The key word for us is to optimize the construction, transformation and management of buildings and the city by linking the functions and services and the collaboration of the stakeholders. Architecture and urban planning is based on a collective work that requires today more than ever a multitude of skills far beyond a sectoral, functional or spatial approach.

We take a great interest in the city in all its forms, because their form and development is the reflection of the urban society. Predict its development and intervene in the urban fabric is our passion. For our generation, the equitable urbanization of our planet is one of the major challenges of the 21st century. An issue that we wish to answer.