The Institute Paris Region “IAU Ile de France” – formerly IAURP/IAURIF) was originally created to curb urban sprawl of Paris which was and still is a compact city ‘intro muros’ – within the peripherique, the ring road along what were the walls of Paris (1960s PADOG plan).
Rapid urbanisation was in full flow in France in the 1960s, fuelled by rural to urban migration, as well as immigration from the ex-colonies such as Algeria which achieved independence in 1962. Paris was the main attractor of these movements and expanded rapidly in the suburbs. St Denis in the North of Paris and Créteil in the South were the fasted growing social housing expansions (HLM: habitations à loyers modérés). Over the next decades these suburbs diversified to accommodate other urban functions, which included the move there of the “Institut Paris Region”.
The Paris region Institute evolved and in 1986 became the planning authority of the region Ile de France. It expanded its activities by some stable 200 staff to an environment department, regional health observatory, safety, regional institute for sports development and training activities. Since 1916 the focus was on environmental resources (regional biodiversity agency, regional energy and climate agency, regional waste observatory). In 2019 It became a 1909 Association (like IUPF) called L’Institut Paris Region, extending its governance to all local authorities in Ile de France, other regional bodies, as well as internationally to other cities and NGOs worldwide Its key vocation is as the leading scientific and technical support centre for the development and evaluation of public policies in the capital region but its reach is now global.
Eric, our fantastic host of IUPF in Paris, presented the planning work of the Institut Paris Region, illustrated by maps. He distributed statistics and their impressive book “Cities Change the World”, les cahiers no 176, IPR, 2019. After a lively discussion on the work of the Institut Paris Region, Rolf Schutt, the president of IUPF presented the latest state of IUPF, including the financial and mid-term strategy.
Getting to the Institute meant to take one of the most modern metros to the end station, opening onto a vast empty space with view to 20th century steel and glass buildings. A fellow traveller kindly looked up the location of the Institute on his smart phone for me. When I walked there I felt glad not to have to live in this sterile environment created by 20th century architectural fashion which had become the everyday experience of a whole young generation growing up in these suburbs. It made me think what IUPF could contribute to turn these cold environments into more liveable experiences, a mammoth task as they proliferated all over the world and still do in the same style.
(a personal impression of the IUPF visit hosted by Eric Hyusbrechts on 28 January 2026 at the occasion to celebrate the formal registration of IUPF as a French Association). Judith Ryser, 12 February 2026.
