Temporary occupancy projects in the Greater Paris - Grand Paris - Overview and analysis
Over the past ten years temporary occupancy has become widespread in Grand Paris Metropolis, supported by the gradual structuring of public policies through calls for projects, targetted funding and the emergence of new players.
In view of the interest shown in these initiatives and the lack of up-to-date data on a metropolitan scale, it was deemed useful to develop a monitoring tool in the form of a regularly updated, collaborative database. This was set up in three stages: first the framework was established to consolidate project selection criteria and for information indicators to be defined. Then came a phase during which information was gathered from all players involved, and finally there was a period of analysis and interviews from November 2024 to January 2025.
These projects are mostly located in north-eastern areas, in the heart of Grand Paris Metropolis. If classified according to their principal activity, accommodation comes first on the list (139 projects out of 439), followed by spaces for artistic creation, urban agriculture, work spaces, spaces dedicated to solidarity and lastly for commercial and events uses. The majority of these projects (65%) are established on public or para-public land. A fifth (22%) of the projects occupy former office buildings. Projects last on average two years. Approximately a hundred various different owners (public, private) and over 200 operators, that have participated on one or more sites over the last 20 years, have been identified.
The analysis sheds light on a mode of intervention that is widely practised and approved by certain players, but raises persistent difficulties, which include the issue of the temporary nature of occupancy and their economic model.
