Beyond the mouse house

ut not everyone knows that over three decades ago, one of the largest urban development projects in Europe was launched at the same time as Disneyland Paris – the Val d' Europe territory.

This scheme banked on the success of the Disney theme park, and sought to redress the development inequalities of the masterplan around Paris. An agreement signed in 1987 between the French government, the Paris Region, the Seine-et-Marne Department, the RATP Paris Transport Authority and The Walt Disney Company set out its vision to counterbalance the economically strong west-of-Paris metropolitan region with a new urban centre, clustered around Disneyland Paris.

Today, about 50% of Val d'Europe has been developed, with plans in the works to develop the remaining 50% within the next ten to fifteen years, offering a range of opportunities for investors, project developers and international businesses. The focus is on a sustainable development that seeks to harmonise work and play in a green environment, combining the pull of a big city with the advantages of a small urban centre.

Boris Solbach – Disneyland Paris chief financial officer and vice president, business strategy & finance – talks to Retail Watch about the vision for the future of Val d’Europe, as seen by local authorities and The Walt Disney Company, and the opportunities for international players.

RW: If 35 years ago, Val d’Europe was just fields and meadows – today it is a hive of economic activity with more in the works. Can you describe the change that has taken place?

Boris Solbach (BS): A lot has changed since. First of all, Val d’Europe is now a world-class tourism hub, hosting Disneyland Paris – Europe’s leading tourist destination with 375 million visitors since 1992 – and featuring France’s second largest hotel capacity with a total of about 12,000 rooms. Secondly, Val d’Europe has unquestionably become a major business hub close to Paris.

Approximately 6,300 businesses from sectors including technology, services, hotels and F&B, and more have settled in the territory across 10 municipalities, including international players such as Bosch, Henkel, Deloitte and Crédit Agricole. As a prospering business location, Val d'Europe currently employs about 44,000 people with average annual growth of 6% per year. Val d’Europe today is a dynamic and prosperous economic area, with a sustainable approach, high standards of living and an ideal location at the heart of Europe, all set in a natural environment.

RW: Can you summarise the plans for the next phase?

BS: Currently, we are at about 50% of development, which means there is still a lot to do. Our ambitions for continued economic development of the Val d’Europe territory are structured around four main themes. Firstly, there are currently about 70 hectares of land available for project development of any nature.

This includes an International Business Park over approximately 150 ha of land, of which 40 ha is available immediately. Moreover, there are up to 300,000 m2 of office space and 300,000 m2 of commercial space slated to be developed in the next ten years. And finally, Disneyland Paris is being continuously developed with future ambitions in the tourism sector on the horizon.

RW: What type of foreign businesses would Val d’Europe like to attract?
BS: Val d'Europe is a wonderful European showcase with a vibrant economic ecosystem encompassing sectors such as tourism, hospitality, service retail, industry, health care, technology, education and more. While tourism, hospitality, trade and service sectors represent nearly 60% of jobs today, the goal is to encourage diversification and attract companies from additional sectors such as health (research, biotech, AI) and digital (automation, data, security).

We intend to promote the opening of large French or international companies that are likely to generate an ecosystem around them or to provide structure to a value chain comprised of SMEs, SMIs, and start-ups with real potential for the development and creation of qualified jobs in the region.??

Furthermore, we would like to endow Val d’Europe with higher education institutions – public or private universities, French or foreign – that will train young talent meeting the needs of companies present in the area. We’re really thinking about development holistically for the territory.

Under the territorial brand ‘Val d’Europe, Fields of Opportunities,’ the goal is to enhance the attractiveness for companies and talent who want to thrive in a multicultural environment combining economic dynamism, accessibility, and a living environment that strikes a balance between urban development, nature and preservation of the environment.

RW: What qualities will help draw investors and tenants to the area?

BS: Val d’Europe is a young, cosmopolitan, dynamic and compelling destination for international business in France offering many advantages for companies wishing to set up shop in France while having access to neighbouring markets like the UK and the Benelux region. First of all, it is highly accessible, with two metro stations connecting it to Paris in just 30 minutes, the nearby A4 highway and the Charles-de-Gaulle airport, just 10 minutes away.

Moreover, the region is home to France’s number one TGV train hub, connecting Val d’ Europe with all French and many European cities in less than 3 hours.

International companies can enjoy an attractive package consisting of a vast real estate and land offer, low operational costs compared to other locations in the Paris region, great infrastructure and amenities. For example, Deloitte studied us for eight years among 88 European sites shortlisted before choosing us instead of London, Amsterdam or Brussels.

It is also an emotional choice through the attachment to the art of living and creating a work environment conducive to employee fulfilment and company development. Companies and their employees are drawn by the area’s dynamic economy, unique location, environment, youthful population and high standards of living.

The region unquestionably benefits from the influence and attractiveness of the French capital and its region, which is among the most dynamic in all of Europe.

Most importantly, Val d’Europe harmoniously combines the needs of local and international tourism and business with a high-quality, diverse offer. To its residents, Val d’Europe represents a high standard of living characterised by affordable and new housing, an extensive range of services, entertainment and leisure facilities, direct access to healthcare, and an environment with plenty of nature and opportunities for local recreation.

RW: What is your approach to ESG?

BS: Val d’Europe prioritises a sustainable urbanisation approach in line with the objectives of the Climate Air Energy Plan which sets the French national standards pertaining to climate, air and energy. We are championing sustainable development in three areas specifically.

These include sustainable construction. This means that current and future buildings meet stringent energy efficiency standards that are higher than required under basic regulations, and rely in particular on heating networks powered by biomass and geothermal energy. A high level of environmental ambition is reflected in the quest for ambitious labels and certifications, such as Passive House-labelled residences, Effinergy- and HQE-labelled equipment, and BREEAM-certified buildings.

Moreover, Val d’Europe has high construction standards for better adaptation to climate change.

In the area of green spaces and water recovery, Val d’Europe is developing a compact form of urbanisation with adjoining buildings around the major transportation routes that helps optimize travel and minimize energy loss resulting in a 15-minute city approach allowing residents to reach their offices, shops, services and leisure facilities within just minutes by foot or bicycle.

By 2030, 86 km of bike paths (20 to date) will be developed for daily commutes. Comprising 30% urban green spaces, Val d’Europe also promotes the creation of green and blue corridors linking parks and forests, waterways and drainage reservoirs in order to grow and preserve biodiversity. Disneyland Paris is also the only theme park in Europe with its own water treatment plant, saving 2 million cubic meters of drinking water since 2013.

Finally, we are also paying attention to renewable energy production. Val d’Europe pioneered the development of a heating network based on the recovery of heat from data centres which is used to heat the Val d’Europe Aquatic Centre and some of the business premises located in the International Business Park.
Also, six biogas production centres supply Val d’Europe with green energy. And finally, biomass is used to heat town centre housing, while geothermal energy is used to create heating networks for urban and tourist use. Disneyland Paris is also currently building one of Europe’s largest solar canopy plants over 20 hectares of its main guest parking lot, which will provide approximately 17% of the resort’s energy consumption.

It is expected to generate 36 GWh per year of renewable energy – enough to power a city with 17,400 inhabitants for a full year. The project will help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by approximately 890 tons of CO2/year within Val d’Europe.