Val d'Europe is a new city created in 1987 and developed from 1992, located next to the first tourist destination in Europe, Disneyland Paris. The challenge of this unique architectural and urban experience was to design, ex nihilo, a city that simultaneously represents beauty, practicality and sustainability. A city that creates social diversity without architectural discrimination, limits the use of vehicles, responds to ecological imperatives, offers a balance between housing and office spaces and is harmoniously developed over time. Val d'Europe’s genesis was backed by a vision: that of reviving European urban genius by inventing an authentic city, while still responding to today’s demands. Here, the streets present a familiar character, the squares are convivial, the architecture is the same for both social and private housing.

This book, written by two architects and illustrated with maps, photographs and original watercolours, presents, without concealing the difficulties, the process that was put into place in order to achieve the same urban quality as Europe’s most beautiful cities.