The Nord Pas de Calais: from industrial age to knowledge economy

EESC CCILM

Essen October 2010

A short presentation

� 4 millions inhabitants, 27% under 19,� Regional GDP: 100 billions €� 4th Region in France but 20th for the GDP

per capita� Rate of unemployement 13%� Tertiary sector: 75%

The industrial age

� Mining and textile are the two legs of the Nord Pas de Calais.

� Coal mining: Employment Production %

NPdC/France

1946 209000 59,7%

1954 145000 54,4%

The Employment in NPdC

% 1954 1962 1968 1975

MINING 2.1 2.5 1.2 0.5

TEXTILE 2.5 2.0 1.6 0.8

TOTAL 7.1 6.9 6.7 6.5

Proportion of NPdC Employment in the National Employment

From 1962 to 1975, mining lose about5600 employments annually

The Seventies and eighties: the mutations of Industrial age :

� From mining to manufacturing:� Automotive ,railway and steel industriesbecome the main substitutes.

1954-1962 1962-1968 1968-1975

ENERGY +735 +645 -4012

STEEL IRON -3187 -1406 2656

AUTOMOTIVE 1835 75 11950

GLASS 173 1096 2262

The end of the XX century

� The metropolitan development:� Lille becomes the magnet of the Nord Pas

de Calais region.� The Channel Tunnel, The High speed train,

� Euralille: the dawn of the tertiary sector� A business quarter near Brussels, London, Paris (120 hectares,

740000m², Koolhaas, Nouvel, Portzamparc, Vasconi)

The Euralille project: an opportunity�

A new environment

� The GDP is…was the main and alone indicator for Economic prosperity and social welfare.

� The attractivity becomes another KPI.� The mains pillars of the attractivity are the

accessibility, the cultural environment, the higher education,the health,the innovation, the international background,the way of life ( Sports, Leisure, entertainment)

Regional competitiveness: the pillars

Macro economic environmentInstitutionsHealth

Basic education

Market sizeHigher educationLabor market

Innovation,IT

Business sophistication

From JRC European commission

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Accessibility and economic performance

� Nord Pas de Calais Region is on the underperformance zone.

� A development of new activities with high value added is required

� Recent project: � a third railway station in Lille on the Thalys way

(High Speed train Paris, Brussels, Köln, Rotterdam),

� The Development of the Lille Airport

Accessibility vs Economic performanceEspon

Attractivity: Education

� Higher education attract 6,4% of the French students

� 4th for the master degrees in France � 8th for PhD students,� Attractivity of the NPdC for Students:

� 6th for Student’s attractivity in France

Edhec New Campus

Supinfocom

Institut du Design

International educationLe Fresnoy Studio

Cultural attractiveness: the Guggenheim effect

� 1st region for Cultural expenses per capita in France,� A real collaboration between public and private

institutions� An European and Eurometropolitan vision (Lille,

Kortrijk, Tournai),� “The culture for all” a political voluntarism� An European recognition: Lille European Capital of

Culture 2004 ( 1 million visitors)� A new project: Le Louvre Lens

Louvre Lens

MuBA Tourcoing

LaM Villeneuved’Ascq

La Piscine Roubaix

Lille Capitale Culturelle2004

TOP Ten innovatives cities� 1. Boston, Massachusetts, USA,� 2. Paris, France, Europe� 3. Amsterdam, Nederland, Europe� 4. Vienne, Austria, Europe� 5. New York, New York, USA� 6. Francfort, Germany, Europe� 7. San Francisco, California, USA� 8. Copenhague, Denmark, Europe� 9. Lyon, France, Europe� 10. Hambourg, Germany, Europe

(source: Innovation Cities. 2Thinknow)

The Information age

� Regions have to attract more and more knowledge workers, innovators and cultural creativity

� Economic background is not the only way to catch talented people

� Creative activities become a cornerstone of the regional development

Toward a Knowledge Society

� Regional competitiveness will be more and more evaluated on capacity to catch, feed, weld knowledge and innovation

� Knowledge is scattered in many locations, � Regions will have to become a magnet and

gateway of knowledge:

Do you knows what your Region knows?

� A French answer: The competitiveness clusters:

� PICOM

� The Regional spots of knowledge:� Railway Industries: Alstom, Bombardier,

Siemens Transportation� Retailing and Mail Order Companies

A deep concentration of retail companies

A new world of innovation

� R=G N=1� Needs becomes unique,� World becomes the playground � Competition is the main rule� Regions becomes sensors of new talents and new

business models� 2 competitive advantages of the NPdC: Commerce,

Railways industries� Challenges for NPdC catch and keep value added in

industries (automotive, railway) and services ( E and M-commerce):