Cité Descartes Sustainable City Cluster is the meeting point for stakeholders of the knowledge triangle: research, education and innovation.

Sustainable city means a city or urban unit that respects the principles of sustainable development and ecological urban planning. It simultaneously takes into account the social, economic, environmental and cultural challenges of urban planning, for and with the inhabitants of the area. Thus facilitating sober modes of work and transport and developing efficiency from the point of view of energy consumption and natural and renewable resources (source: Wikipedia).

Gustave Eiffel University specialises in the study of cities and urbanisation processes. It brings together six institutions (UPEM, Ifsttar, École d’architecture de la ville et des territoires Paris-Est, EIVP, ENSG, ESIEE Paris). This merger is supported by the Science-Innovation-Territories-Economy Initiatives project (Initiatives Science-Innovation-Territoires-Économie, I-SITE) of the French Investissements d’Avenir programme.

In addition, 545 companies and 7,300 employees are based in Cité Descartes, including some at the Maison de l’Entreprise Innovante, a hotspot for entrepreneurship with Incubateur Descartes, Fablab Descartes, the business nursery and hotel, and a coworking space.