The book 'The Grand Projet' looks into the adaptive and inclusive capacities that urban megaprojects can offer. It provides a new and for the first time comprehensive reading of selected urban megaprojects in Asia and Europe, and a comparative view of key moments regarding their role in contemporary urban development.

Urban Megaprojects – here referred to as Grands Projets – are increasing in number all over the world. They have become major drivers for urban intensification and oftentimes set out to take a city’s expansion to the next level. As such, Grands Projets can be read as manifestations of the larger economic and political agenda of their city and they offer a productive moment to investigate current urban trends in a globally connected form of concentrated urbanization.

Eight case studies: Downtown Core  Singapore, HafenCity Hamburg, Kings’ Cross London, La Défense Paris, Lujiazui Shanghai, Marunouchi Tokyo, West Kowloon Hong Kong, and 22@ Barcelona

Design: Joost Grootens

The book 'The Grand Projet' looks into the adaptive and inclusive capacities that urban megaprojects can offer. It provides a new and for the first time comprehensive reading of selected urban megaprojects in Asia and Europe, and a comparative view of key moments regarding their role in contemporary urban development.

Urban Megaprojects – here referred to as Grands Projets – are increasing in number all over the world. They have become major drivers for urban intensification and oftentimes set out to take a city’s expansion to the next level. As such, Grands Projets can be read as manifestations of the larger economic and political agenda of their city and they offer a productive moment to investigate current urban trends in a globally connected form of concentrated urbanization.

Eight case studies: Downtown Core  Singapore, HafenCity Hamburg, Kings’ Cross London, La Défense Paris, Lujiazui Shanghai, Marunouchi Tokyo, West Kowloon Hong Kong, and 22@ Barcelona

Design: Joost Grootens