The 15 Minutes city by Carlos Moreno

We have all realised the importance of rethinking the way our towns and cities are organised. Up to this point they have been divided into different areas for different activities (offices, housing, shopping, culture, leisure), creating the need to travel long distances on a daily basis, and only technology can shorten these journeys (faster transport that allows you to travel further).  
Cities, towns and neighbourhoods should be completely reinvented to put people at their centre and build a better environment for those who live there, work there or visit.

At Nhood, we have one main mission: to create better places and keep them thriving. That is what got us interested in the 15-minute city, a concept put forward by Carlos Moreno, Scientific Director of the ‘Entrepreneurship, Territory & Innovation’ research group at IAE Paris, part of Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne University.
 

What is city planning and property development?

It’s about building new sites or converting existing ones in order to create places that are useful to the territory. It can be future offices, housing, industrial sites, training centres or shops adapted to the user’s needs. From finding a land to  delivering the site, this real estate activity requires the involvement of many professionals as the operations expand.
 

What is city planning and property development at Nhood?

At Nhood, we are driven by a vision: to convert existing sites into vibrant and sustainable places to live. This means that whenever possible, we prefer to convert brownfields or ageing buildings rather than building new ones. We’d rather design mixed-use sites rather than single-use ones to meet the future residents’ needs. Plus, we operate in a responsible and sustainable way by sorting and reusing deconstruction materials, using more ecological materials and construction techniques, creating green spaces to cool heat areas or innovating to produce our own energy and improve the site's overall energy performance. 
From managers to trainees, all our employees are of utmost importance when it comes to making real estate a better industry. Read this article to discover the key city planning and property development jobs at Nhood.

Development Director

He/She is the one who sets the course. He/She sets up and implements the land development strategy (offices, housing, shops, etc.), provides guidance to the teams in charge of scouting lands, and supervises the land developers according to the clients' needs and town planning regulations. He/She is also in charge of developing external partnerships with local authorities, economic, and social stakeholders, owners, etc.
At Nhood, this role is very important as it allows us to co-design and co-create useful and durable projects that benefit all those who make the territory live.

Land Developer

In the industry, he/she is a forward-thinker. He/She is in charge of finding and purchasing building lands or properties to rehabilitate. He/She negotiates building costs and analyses the project’s feasibility and profitability at all levels (technical, administrative, financial, etc.).
At Nhood, our land developers examine our clients’ assets in order to enhance their brownfields and existing sites by giving them new uses.

Programme Manager

He/She is the actual project coordinator. He/She liaises with the partners involved at every stage of the property programme (local authorities, architects, consultancy firms, etc.) and the technical, legal, financial, administrative, and commercial staff.
At Nhood, not only he/she makes sure that the deadlines, budget, and delivery of the project are met, but he/she also makes sure that the project has a ‘triple positive impact’. He/She thinks right from the beginning about solutions to improve the carbon footprint of the structure - both during the construction phase and for the users - thanks to innovations that reduce energy consumption.

Technical Director

His/Her job starts from the setup of the project. He/She oversees the programme’s processes. He/She defines the technical and human needs at each stage of the operation, taking into account technological developments and new regulations. By defining the specifications for each service provider (choice of materials and construction techniques), he/she ensures the delivery of an innovative and energy-efficient building. And that's the way we do it!

Real estate Lawyer

A trained lawyer, he has in-depth knowledge of all changes in real estate law and plays a key support role at every stage of the property development project. He/She advises beforehand all the stakeholders on the legal aspects of setting up the programme, drafting contracts, and ensuring that procedures are compliant. He/She can provide guidance for the management of appeals and disputes.
At Nhood, we design better places. The outcome also depends on the way we carry out our projects. Our lawyers make sure that all our partners and service providers are in line with our ethical charter.

Sales Manager

He/She is the one who develops the business strategy for our clients. By analysing market trends and user expectations, he/she helps our clients define their offer (office, housing, shops, etc.) and implements the business strategy (sales channels, budget, business plans, etc.). At Nhood, thanks to their knowledge of financing methods, they can find new forms of partnership to successfully bring the project to life.

Site conversion Manager

At Nhood, whenever we can, we prefer to convert existing sites rather than creating new ones, like La Maillerie in France or Vialia de Vigo in Spain. The Manager leads the site conversion operation to increase or secure its value at every stage of the project: he/she oversees the technical, financial, and administrative project feasibility studies; he/she manages the legal, financial, and technical set-up of the operation in accordance with the regulations, deadlines, and investment criteria of the owner(s); he/she is in charge of the project’s launch and pre-marketing; he/she draws up the specifications and coordinates the service providers, etc. And we are the only ones to promote this job!
 

Nhood: Projects that favour 15-minutes cities

LA MAILLERIE (France)
Proximity and sustainability: an open-air hub
Almost 34 tonnes of reused and recycled construction materials, a mini-farm and urban vegetable garden created, a river refilled with water, urban wind turbines built, green spaces covering 46% of the project’s area, and a food market with 27 local independent businesses.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LA MAILLERIE

LA CLOCHE D’OR (Luxembourg) 
Pop-up shops and incubators of local creativity
Since 2020, La Cloche d’Or has been offering Luxembourg’s artists, businesses and non-profit organisations spaces for creative expression where they can offer customers brand-new formats. 20 pop-up shops have been set up so far.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LA CLOCHE D’OR

ESTACION VIALIA DE VIGO (Spain)
A multi-modal station to promote sustainable modes of transport
With local and high-speed trains, a car park, bus routes, pedestrian walkways and cycle paths to the city, the city’s new largest square is becoming the place where its inhabitants come together.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VIALIA DE VIGO 

ALEGRO (Portugal)
Events that draw on everyone’s passions
Alegro shopping centres help everyone to have fun, learn and access culture, whatever their background or their interests, with initiatives like the Setubal half-marathon, an event promoting parasport, a ‘blind date with books’ to help people rediscover reading, community libraries, the ‘Art is Everywhere’ exhibition for the opening of the Alegro Setubal shopping centre and the programme of shows held throughout the year.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ALEGRO’S INITIATIVES 

Lives2 (Côte d’Ivoire) 
The extra rooms changing the face of neighbourhoods
A house with an extra room to serve as a shop - that’s the concept helping to meet the needs created by the rapid urban growth in African countries. It means the assurance of useful products and services at the neighbourhood level and easier access to property ownership thanks to the revenue generated by this room. It also means a better quality of life thanks to the commuting time saved each day.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LIVES2

THE BUSINESS FACTORY (Romania)
A co-working space and driving force in the local economy
With 1300m2, 130 offices, an auditorium, two meeting rooms, a library, a space for informal meetings, a kitchen, services and events for professionals and more, every effort has been made to reduce the need for people to commute. This phase of development was combined with the construction of housing, a hotel, a shopping centre and entertainment, helping to make the local authority’s plan for a 15-minute city a reality.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CARTIER CORESI