About us
An association under the 1901 French law, L’Agence supports elected officials, technicians and partners in all their projects. The only town planning agency in France to integrate a “Pays d’Art et d’Histoire”, it hosts an Architecture and Heritage Interpretation Center (CIAP).
L’Agence is made up of a multidisciplinary team, using its knowledge and expertise to serve residents and their territory. It considers everyone's ideas and works in complete synergy with its members and partners for territorial development. It is a space for dialogue, information, participation and mediation. It encourages citizens to better understand their past in order to act today and get involved for tomorrow.
Julie Velay, Assistant Project Manager
L'Agence works on a territory of 89 municipalities (129 000 inhabitants, 815 km2) represented by 2 inter-municipality organisations: Communauté de Communes du Pays de Lumbres (CCPL), and Communauté d’agglomération du Pays de Saint-Omer (CAPSO). It is part of the regional and national urban planning agencies networks and daily works as part of European and international projects.
L'Agence’s missions revolve around three approaches:
- “Understand”: L’Agence collects, processes, cross-references and makes historical and geographical data understandable, to shed light on possibilities, better anticipate and encourage imagination,
- “Support”: L’Agence facilitates the conduct of projects, offers solutions and actions to meet the challenges of ecological reorientation: housing, traveling, eating, consuming, working, etc.,
- “(Getting) involve(d)”: L’Agence is a space for dialogue and sharing, aiming to pass on a culture of development and town planning.
As part of SIRR, L’Agence uses all those approaches to help the CCPL in the animation of the hub and building territorial projects.
Setting: Rural area consisting of 36 municipalities in the northern part of France.
Main regional business: Agriculture. Service and trade. Concrete, paper and glass industry. Tourism.
Challenges in focus: Territorial urban planning. Issues with national law. Implementing ecological transitions. Approaching young people. Lacking academic support. Environmental challenges (e.g. floods). Housing problems. Not too much experience with working with economic.