Climate Change Project on Programe Gare Versailles Chantiers: Executive Summary

2. Executive Summary
The “Versailles Chantiers Railway Station Program” responds to Versailles City’s call for proposal to take advantage of renovations required to modernize
the train station, so as to experiment a variety of projects contributing to a long term vision for sustainability, enhancing at the same time the attraction
power of the city by means others than its world famous castle. The royal city of Versailles used to play a leadership role in transportation in France, but the
diagnosis of the Chantiers train station by GreenStormTM reveals current conditions only provide average to mediocre public transportation to and from
the area, with negative impacts on the city’s reputation and impeding a variety of opportunity for economic growth, environmental conditions and societal
well-being. In the light of the aggravating factor of Climate Change, a threat to human well-being considered of upmost priority by the international
community – through initiatives such as the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), as well as by France – which enacted a national plan for
adaptation in 2011, GreenStormTM consulting firm thereby proposes to approach the renovation focusing on mitigation and adaptation.
Similarly to the rest of Ile-de-France, Versailles Chantiers faces 8 primary risks from Climate Change: Extreme Temperatures (1) – passing from the current
20-40 days average of days above 25°C to an 70-120 days by 2080 according to 2 scenarios of pollution increase – and Natural Disasters (2) such as storms,
resulting in vulnerability of Energy Sources (3) and Transportation Systems (4), Water Scarcity (5), Biodiversity Losses (6), ultimately leading to threats on
Public Health (7) aggravated by a lack of Awareness on Climate Change (8). Because of those risks, renovation undergone by the “Versailles Chantiers
Railway Station Program” is designed to be led by a Climate Change Management Pole, which is a new type of governance body – called a transition arena –
composed of stakeholders of the train station, Versailles city and, Climate Change organizations. The program consists in a series of 22 innovations in
processes, products and services in and around Versailles Chantiers, implemented through a series of three scenarios, with incremental geographical and
cost impacts on the station and its neighborhood. The GreenStormTM consulting firm conceived those scenarios and solutions as realistic demonstration
solutions, which can be expand upon and replicated to the rest of the city or the country in case of success.
The Versailles Chantiers Climate Change Management Pole follows a simple decision-making process to adopt one of the scenarios outlined in this report,
depending on management– budget and timeline – and on sustainability vision – impact on Climate Change and on the city’s reputation – priorities setting.
The first scenario, considered insufficient, focuses on 14 solutions solely for the train station implemented in 5 years, for limited impacts and a 21,58 M€
budget. The second scenario is deemed promising, expands the previous one to 5 additional solutions within a multimodal pole for sustainable mobility, to
be implemented over 10 years with a 40,07 M€ budget for an encouraging impact. Eventually, GreenStormTM’s Best Hope scenario adds a
“ClimateriumTM”, which is an information, urban planning and training center centralizing regional data and scientific efforts on Climate Change, to the
previous set of solutions; this scenario requires 65,54 M€ investments – 2/3 of current renovation – over 15 years to make of Versailles a worldwide
reference again.

3. PROGRAM INTEREST AREAS

4. More details can be provided by request to
those who are interested