Cité Créative, a neighborhood that inspires creativity
Established in 2019 in the heart of Montpellier, on the site of the former Infantry Training School (EAI), Cité Créative is the first mixed-use neighborhood dedicated to Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI). Aimed towards active young city dwellers, it features 40,000 m² of space for service and commercial activities, along with 2,500 housing units.
- 4,000 m²space for 150 to 200 entrepreneurs
- 4schools: ESMA, ETPA, Ciné Créatis, and IPESAA
- 40 hadeveloped area, including 40,000 m² of commercial space
A district that radiates creativity
Located 1.5 km from the city center and Montpellier Saint-Roch train station, Cité Créative is served by tramway line 5 and several city bus routes. It is adjacent to Montcalm Park, a 23-hectare green space featuring approximately 2,600 trees.
Created by Montpellier Métropole and the City of Montpellier, Cité Créative encompasses all the ingredients of the CCI ecosystem: cutting-edge schools, business incubators, companies... plus a wide range of social and community spaces, as well as essential infrastructure, including a school complex and a daycare center
The Cité Créative meets the needs of SMEs and large companies by offering flexible and adapted premises, ranging from simple offices to corporate headquarters, providing a solution for all types of CCI activities.
-
As the flagship training facility at Cité Créative, the Creative Campus is led by the Icônes Group, a network founded in Montpellier that brings together applied arts institutions selected for their high academic and artistic standards.
The Creative Campus is home to four of the group’s schools: Esma Artistique (Higher School of Artistic Trades), ETPA (a school specializing in photography, graphic design, video games, and digital creation), CinéCréatis (a school focused on film, video, and audiovisual production), and IPESAA (a school specializing in applied arts, design, illustration, and video games).
As one of France’s largest centers for training in creative professions, the Creative Campus welcomes over 1,200 students.
-
Covering an area of 4,000 m², Halle Tropisme offers coworking spaces, areas for socializing and meeting others, and a year-round program of cultural events.
It is run by the cultural and creative cooperative Illusion & Macadam.
-
Private and shared offices accommodate more than CCI 200 professionals working in areas as diverse as support services, consulting, training, audiovisual media, video games, 3D animation, communications, publishing, visual arts, architecture, environmental studies, cultural mediation, and the performing arts.
-
This 1,800-square-meter building, brimming with creativity, houses the studios of 60 artists and various support programs. Ateliers Tropisme (Tropisme Workshops) is designed as a large shared space, bringing together all types of projects and talents.
-
Located in a former screening room at the infantry school barracks, the Cocon space is designed to become a multifunctional hub, blending work and leisure, and operated by a foundation. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the facility will feature dance studios for Epsedance, sound studios available to CCI students and businesses, office space, a rooftop restaurant, the Salamech art gallery, and a performance hall.
Spotlight on the Creative City Museum and Annex
The Cité Créative Museum is a landmark building at the heart of a dynamic and productive ecosystem. In addition, a second building located at the northern end of the Cité Créative — the Annex — will ultimately also be able to accommodate players in the creative and cultural industries.
These spaces are part of a comprehensive commercial property development project within this mixed-use neighborhood, aimed at providing a range of options tailored to the needs of businesses at every stage of their maturity, featuring both private and shared spaces, all designed to respect the confidentiality requirements of industry professionals.
This complex offers CCI stakeholders flexible floor plans with a minimum area of 138 m2, designed in a style that is both modern and innovative.
Facts and figures:
- 2,150 m² of office space
- 590 m² of common areas (including shared meeting rooms, showers, lockers, relaxation areas, etc.)
- 50 m² of secure outdoor bicycle parking
- 101 m² of outdoor terraces and gardens
- 17 underground parking spaces, plus 20 more in the ESMA building
Pictures of La Cité Créative
La Halle Tropisme ©Davis Richard
Halles tropisme ©illusion & macadam
CP-Tropisme, le quatrième pop-up
Annexe du Musée de la Cité Créative
Photo du Musée de la Cité Créative © 3M
Annexe du Musée de la Cité Créative
Le Cocon ©esma
Campus créatif ©3M
“La Cité Créative is an urban project that lives up to its potential, featuring world-class schools, a dynamic network of businesses and organizations, effective support programs, prestigious cultural events, and a fierce determination to steer the ecosystem in a single direction: towards success!”
“La Cité Créative represents a tremendous opportunity for Ubisoft to build strong ties with local stakeholders who can help us develop cutting-edge technologies and even more immersive worlds that will benefit our players.”
“Montpellier Métropole is setting up the necessary resources for collaborative work that drives innovation. This ecosystem brings about exceptional projects, such as La Cité Créative.”