Land
and cities

Terrestrial resources are growing scarce, the climate is changing… Faced with these disturbances, the Bap! wishes to promote and share knowledge and best practices in architecture, landscaping and urban planning, in Île-de-France and the world.

Edito

The concrete jungle has had its moment, tomorrow’s city has yet to be designed

Designing a city means reflecting on the short and long term, paying attention to detail as well as seeing the big picture, and balancing the individual’s daily life with the collective’s future.

Because the construction of our living environment is a challenge that’s both complex and delicate, I wished for the Île-de-France region, Europe’s largest urban area and the most populous in France, to have a major salon providing the space and time to share ideas and savoir-faire on cities and landscapes.

The health crisis and the climate challenge got the best of a city planning strategy that removed water, trees and land. Populations no longer want this style of city planning.

The 21st century must reinvent the city and reconcile it with the earth, land and living things.

I would like this second edition of the Bap! in Île-de-France to contribute to this crucial collective reflection, which opens the debate to French and international professionals and elected officials, but especially to the general public.

Valérie Pécresse

President of Île-de-France Region

After 2019’s Bap! theme, “Man, City, and Nature”, the Ile-de-France region takes an even deeper look in 2022 with the theme “Land and Cities”.

The issue of land use now occupies a very particular place in the public discourse.

The Covid-19 crisis increased the population’s demand for natural spaces. Opposition to new constructions has doubled and the number of new construction sites has dropped, even though demand for housing is growing. The disappearance of large agricultural developments, ecosystem preservation in urbanised areas, soil recycling (especially in large construction sites), and not to mention earth once again being as a construction material – these issues are all frequently mentioned in public debate and discourse.

The search for a new paradigm, which unites land preservation with architectural ambition and urban renewal, has thus emerged as a major challenge for city planning policies.

My wish is for the Bap! 2022 to present visitors with many points of view from renowned specialists, which complete and enrich each other and, through both French and foreign experiences, outline the solutions of tomorrow.

François de Mazières

Curator general of the Biennale, mayor of Versailles

For its 2022 edition, the Bap! will have the theme « Land and cities ».

Exhibitions, conferences, debates, interactive workshops… This year’s line-up promises to be enriching. It will offer perspectives from partners with varied expertise: five local authorities and associated agencies, two national graduate schools, three cultural establishments, and two planning institutions.

The link between land and cities will be explored in all its forms: landscaped foundation, support of living beings, nourishing earth, terroirs brimming with natural resources, circular development, earth construction.

As with our previous edition, this year’s Biennale will be hosted by Versailles. You can also attend events outside the walls in Mantes-la-Jolie, La Roche-Guyon or Nanterre.

Credit Nef Espinasseau
Credit Arnauld Duboys Fresney
Credit Nicolas Borel

Exhibitions

Nine exhibitions at the heart of the event, designed around the link between land and cities, will set the tone for the Bap! 2022. Among the topics to discover: a new way of looking at soil and land resources, new practices for more resilient architecture and landscaping.