New Towns and Urban Production

This master’s thesis takes an interest in the creation of new towns in China and in France, more precisely in Shanghai and in Paris. The process of creation and the methods that were used are especially the matter of this master’s thesis. Their Master Plans are then analysed to understand their founding principles and why some of these new towns, Marne-la-Vallée and Songjiang, managed to stand out of the others to become
more popular. These two towns especially join in the establishment of a public-private partnership to create a sector in the case of Marne-la-Vallée or of a whole town in the
case of Songjiang. The spatial and social consequences of the use of such partnerships are examined in order to determine the lessons to draw from them and if they are models that should inspire other towns, especially when considering the growing difficulties that cities have to finance themselves.