Today, under the impetus of the Euroméditerranée Organisation for Euro-Mediterranean Development [Etablissement Public d’Aménagement], Marseille is undergoing a metamorphosis to leave the stereotypes behind and become an attractive major metropolis. Since 1995 the government and local authorities have invested more than 600 million euros which has generated 1.8 billion in private investment.

This is one of the largest urban development programs in Europe.

Five districts of Marseille between the Old Port and the city centre are involved in these emblematic projects which are already completed or under way. LaJoliette with the Docks district, Cité de la Méditerranée, Rue de la République, Saint Charles and the Aix Gate are getting a facelift and promise new prospects for tomorrow's European capital.

La Joliette: ideal place for business

- Total of 22 ha

- 300 000 m² of new and refurbished offices

- 1 000 new and rehabilitated housing, hotels, shops, schools and colleges

Cité de la Méditerranée:

- 110 ha of new housing, cultural, scientific and recreational services

- MUCEM (Museum of Civilization en Europe and the Mediterranean)

- Regional Center of the Mediterranean designed by Stefano Boeri

- 40 000 m² for the Terrasses du Port : walks, leisure facilities, restaurants and shop

- FRAC (Regional Fund for Contemporary Art) designed by the Japonese architect Kengo Kuma & Associates, associated with Toury Vallet Scheduled for 2011

- 45 000 m²: Euromed Center: Conference center, 4 star Marriott hotel and a multiplex cinema designed by Luc Besson and Massimiliano Fuksas (Dolphin shapped buildings marking the entrance to the cinema will be 30 meters high)

- Anciens Silo à Grains: Auditorium with more than 2 200 seats, inspired by the Olympia in Paris, and offices, restaurants, designed by Eric Castaldi and Roland Carta Scheduled for september 2010

- CMA CGM Tower designed by Zaha Hadid, a lighthouse standing between the Occident and Orient with 33 floors and reflective glass windows Scheduled for late 2009

Jean Nouvel Tower, 130m high, 30 floors of office space, 2 hanging gardens and a facade in many different colors

Yves Lion Tower and the H99 designed by Jean Baptiste Pietri

Rue de la République

- The largest urban renewal operation in France

- 5 000 apartments

- 60 000 m² of parking and refurbished shops 

Saint Charles and the Aix Gate

- Total of 16 ha

- Rehabilitation of the area around the station

- Renovation of the A7 Highway

- Residences, housing, shops, green spaces and public facilities

What else?

- Vieux Port a new pedestrian space, designed by Yves Lion

- Stade Velodrome: stadium will be covered and 20 000 new seats added to take the number of seats up to 80 000

- Leisure Center with Palais de la Glisse and a multiplex movie theatre  Scheduled for 2009 and 2010

The public transport system is adapting to this configuration: the arrival of the tramway, which will facilitate traffic in the city centre, is scheduled for June 2007. This rehabilitation policy, combined with the development of cultural structures and facilities, is revitalising the city and already creating the potential for projecting Marseille's image into the future.