1. ENVIRONMENTAL POTENTIAL OF URBAN GONDOLAS
Medellin, Colombie © Samuel Aranda/Panos/Réa
Delphine Giney, (PhD student at the University of
Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)

2. Presentation outline OUTLINE Institutions affiliation & PhD subject
What is an urban gondola ?
Environmental evaluation & Methodology
Aim of the current presentation
Results – Positive impacts
Conclusion: opportunities for sustainable cities 2

3. I. Institutions affiliation & PhD subject
PhD in Geography at the University of Panthéon-Sorbonne
Research department Ladyss
Project R&D « I2TC »
PhD subject
« Social acceptance and environmental impacts of urban gondolas »
The perceptions and expectations of city-dwellers
The environmental impacts on urban and suburban areas 3

4. Sustainable transportation policy Winter sports market saturated
II. What is an urban gondola?
Aim
To overcome obstacles
Aeras crossed
Urban and suburban = built and natural areas
General characteristics
Aerial, capacity of 4000/pass/h/direction, electric
Innovative in the urban context
Porto, Portugal © Sergio Lopez
Why now ?
Fragmented cities
Sustainable transportation policy
Winter sports market saturated 4

5. II. What is an urban gondola?5

6. II. What is an urban gondola?
© Brest Métropole 6

7. II. What is an urban gondola?
© Téléval 7

8. III. Environmental evaluation & methodology
Context of the study of gondolas environmental impacts
Submitted to the French Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
No EIA existing yet, no scientific research, no standards
Unfamiliar transportation = difficulties to conduct an EIA
Study conducted
A conception support tool as a guide
Aims of the guide
To reveal the hypothetical environmental impacts
To raise awareness on the most sensitive impacts
To guide the actors with recommendations 8

9. III. Environmental evaluation & methodology
Environmental impact assessment criteria (article L122-1 & article R122-5 Code de l’environnement)
Analogy with high voltage line, wind power
Comparison with tramway impacts
A work in progress…
Source: energy.gov 9

10. V. Aim of the current presentation
Issue
Urban gondolas: what opportunities for sustainable cities ?
Results presented
Positive impacts
Offered opportunities 10

11. VI. Results – Positive impacts
I) Energy-friendly
Initial advantage
Low-power consumption
Gondolas
Tramway
Bus
kWh/passenger/km
0,5
0,25 18
Optimisation
Consumption decrease: Low speed
Optimisation cabins charge
Production: Downhill cabin at full capacity
Installations on cabins & stations roof
La Paz, Bolivia © M. Lestrehan 11

12. V. Results – Positive impacts
II) Low emissions of GHG
In France transportation = 27,6% of GHG
GHG emissions are related to the energy consumption
CO2/km/passenger (in gram)
Source: Brest Metropole
Transport’s greenhouse gas emissions 12

13. V. Results – Positive impacts
III) Soil sealing
Initial advantage
Aerial = low ground impact
Station: 25 to 50 m in length and 10 m wide
Tower: 4 m2 of concrete
Optimisation
Reallocation of existing buildings
Building stations on stilts
Little habitat destruction and fragmentation, less runoffs and floods
Ankara, Turkey © Gondola Project 13

14. V. Results – Positive impacts
IV) Respect of ecological continuum
Initial advantage
Overflight at 30 m above vegetation = no need for deforestation
No habitat fragmentation
Bolzano, Italy © D. Giney
Less than 30 m = deforestation 3 m wide under the line
New habitat for open spaces biodiversity
Optimisation
Ecological management of the open space
Greening all along the line to encourage connectivities
Management of invasive flora
Col del Renon, Bolzano, Italy © D. Giney 14

15. Conclusion: opportunities for sustainable cities
2050: Reinventing the city
Urban gondolas strengths
Aerial: ground-space freed
2. Pollution-free transport 15

16. Conclusion: opportunities for sustainable cities
Opportunities offered by urban gondolas
Ground-space freed
Creation of ecological and social spaces
Garden, library, outdoor sports area…
Creation of new ecological continuums
Renaturation of stations, towers and beneath the line
Promotion of soft mobility
Redefinition of city planning for bike, walk, …
Centre Michel Serres, 2016 cc-by-nc-sa 16
Centre Michel Serres, 2016 cc-by-nc-sa

17. Conclusion: opportunities for sustainable cities
Opportunities offered by urban gondolas
2. Pollution-free transport
Self-sufficient in energy using renewable sources
Solar, wind, biomass… on the infrastructure
Resilient: thinking its second life
Quick dismounting, reuse of the infrastructure (school, housing, …)
Centre Michel Serres, cc-by-nc-sa
Centre Michel Serres, 2016 cc-by-nc-sa 17

18. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
Project Metrocable © Clément Facy