“Paris Galaxies, a vision for the Greater Paris area” is a multidisciplinary research project initiated by LIID/ Laboratoire d’Ingénierie d’Idées (Idea Engineering Lab) in 2008 (see Paris Galaxies 1.0) and developed in partnership with the Paris College of Art and ACTE (Art, Creation, Theory, Esthetics)  Institute at Sorbonne University since 2012. It was twice awarded the Paris 2030 scholarship from the City of Paris to continue in 2013-14 and 2015-16.

Drawing from the fascinating, futuristic and universal concept of the galaxy to capture and represent urban complexity, Paris Galaxies is experimenting a creative and holistic method, while designing a new global city  conceptual model that can be projected into the future.

As an artistic, academic and strategic project, Paris Galaxies combines at each stage of its process, materials of very diverse origins (field inquiry, theoretical publications, images web collection, fiction and artistic productions, etc.), sometimes through collaborative live workshops or interviews. Its research is also rendered in hybrid formats (conceptual diagrams, research-exhibitions, website, etc.) facilitating understanding and sharing.

AGENDA 2013-16

2013 : IN-DEPTH FIELD INQUIRY TO DETECT THE  CREATIVE HOTSPOTS / EMERGING “WEAK SIGNALS” OF THE FUTURE GREATER PARIS (See “Creative Constellation inquiry”).

- Construction of a Database of the 300 “creative hotspots” of the great-parisian galaxy (the chosen perimeter being the Ile de France Region without Paris intramuros) including cultural, creative or innovative places, structures or projects (LIID’s team subjective interpretation).

- Inquiry, workshops and mini-reportages achieved during international Design Management students workshops at the Paris College of Art (Urban Globalization and Sustainable Development program run by Alice Peinado), and international Art Management Master students at NEOMA School.

2014 : CRITICAL, STRATEGIC AND ACADEMIC ANALYSIS (See “Paris Galaxies in perspective, critical aesthetic audit report”)

- Critical analysis of “weak signals” (prospective method consisting in detecting emerging practices considered as meaningful and that should develop or be strengthen in the future) in relation with both Grand Paris current discussion (e.g. : Jannicot and Landry Reports about culture in the GP, future public transportation lines, etc.), and theoretical reflexion (e..g.: Matthew Gandy “Urban Constellation” research at UCL Urban Lab, ”Novel spatial format for Urban Inclusion” developed by Saskia Sassen, etc.).

2015-16 : FUTURE PROJECTION AND DESIGN OF A PROSPECTIVE VISION AT HORIZON 2030, via a collaborative process and a Design Fiction methodology.

2015 : Grand Paris Futur Lab / see : grandparisfuturlab.org

2015-16 : Design Fiction research resulting in a book “Paris Ars Universalis, scénario fiction d’un futur Grand Paris” (in French), Collection Avant-Garde, editions L’Harmattan, 2017.

PROJECT ROADMAP :