Few will have failed to notice that public debate is increasingly being driven by issues around environmental and societal transitions. The foundations for the cities of tomorrow are being built on the campuses of today. Young people are now tackling these issues and showing their commitment to imagining a territory that will be resilient in all of its dimensions.
Hands and minds work together to analyze, understand, and design new utopias and ways of imagining the world. For several years now, the institutes of higher learning on Île de Nantes have been striving in this direction. Nantes Université (École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Nantes, École des beaux-arts Nantes Saint-Nazaire), École de design Nantes Atlantique, Pôle des Arts Graphiques (Grafipolis, Joliverie), Mediacampus-Audencia SciencesCom, and Écoles créatives (ESMA – CinéCréatis) are setting up shop in a single district, where students can dream big.
Nantes is transforming
Nantes has been getting a major makeover since 2024.
The city is currently undergoing extensive public works, particularly around Île de Nantes (Quai de la Fosse and the Pont Anne-de-Bretagne bridge). Tram Line 1 will be temporarily suspended from mid-June to late August 2026. The city centre and Parc des Chantiers – Machines de l’Île will remain accessible, thanks to replacement buses and to the pedestrian and cycling routes that will continue to be open. Park-and-ride facilities are available to drivers.
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