Lyon Metropole

In the Metropole of Lyon, 67% of inhabitants’ incomes are below the threshold for social housing, and more than 8,500 requests for housing are currently pending. Moreover in the last four years, the price of real estate has increased by 11% in the “Carré de Soie” area covered by the project. This district is a new center combining economic and residential developments that is part of a remarkable industrial architectural heritage well connected to transport facilities. Without public intervention through innovative solutions, this key real estate would probably be privately commercialized, therefore gentrifying the area and excluding vulnerable groups.
In this context and to tackle an increasing scarcity of available real estate, the Home Silk Road project - as part of the wider inclusive housing project “L'Autre Soie” planned over 2018-2025  - proposes to create accessible housing for vulnerable groups in a central district, and to support them for full citizenship empowerment.

The Home Silk Road project aims to change the housing paradigm by placing immediately vulnerable groups at the heart of the city, while demonstrating how they can bring societal and economic value to their district. 

The project will function as a lab gathering housing and non-housing business partners together with residents, in order to:

• Leverage the renovation of a central and emblematic building of the local silk industry history to provide diverse housing solutions by 2023 for vulnerable groups (single-parent families, students, migrants, etc.) along with services that foster individual initiatives (incubators, third places)
• Create an innovative model of temporary housing providing a home for 30 vulnerable families on the construction site, immediately from the 1st phase of construction works. They will benefit from specific support fostering integration both in their housing and the neighbourhood, and from employment opportunities and activities generated by the worksite (e.g. Community restaurant) 
• Create a local culture that recycles worksite wastes and rehabilitates demolition resources in a way that decreases the housing carbon footprint (circular economy activities reusing material from the construction site for practical or artistic purposes)
• Develop an integrated worksite taking advantage of the residents and users consultations as part of a participatory process to prepare the integration of the definitive housing solution on the site. This will include leveraging the human and building material resources available onsite through the creation of economic and cultural activities focusing on the potential of residents and the site renewal.

• Metropole of Lyon  
• City of Villeurbanne - urban authority
• East Metropole Housing - public infrastructure and services provider
• Ecumenical Cultural Centre - interest group
• Alynea

The Home Silk Road project will contribute to renew the perception of housing for vulnerable groups by installing them in a high-quality central district. New links between vulnerable groups, inhabitants from the neighbourhood and users of the site will be developed through wide cultural projects.

During the construction work, Home Silk Road will test an innovative modular housing solution. After the UIA project, it can be moved to other sites awaiting intervention, in order to take maximum advantage of real estate recycling. 

Moreover, a circular economy approach will be developed based on a responsible development and co-building, and using the full potential of citizen resources. The broader objective is to reduce the consumption of resources for building in the remaining part of the “Autre Soie” area toward changing behaviours in the building sector for a more sustainable approach. 

Another project result will be employability improvement of Home Silk Road residents. This will be achieved thanks to socio-professional supports linked with activities developed on the construction site. Lastly, because inclusion cannot be limited to employment opportunities, residents will be involved in cultural, social and economic activities so as to support their housing integration.

April 2019: Community restaurant opening.
July 2019: Purchase of the Home Silk Road land.
September 2020: Opening of temporary housing modules to welcome residents during the construction phase.
November 2020: Launch of the construction works.
October 2021: Project final event to celebrate our results and foster the neighbourhood dynamic.
October 2021: Delivery of a water and airtight building to carry out interior design so as to implement our housing solution within the heritage building.