Quick: Name a few cities that come to mind when you think of France...
Paris? Bien sûr, but you can do better than that. Cannes? Mais oui, you've been reading the entertainment pages. Marseille? Bordeaux? Lyon? Toulouse? C'est magnifique, you have passed your geography test.
Such a wealth of cultural meccas, and yet, the place most likely to resemble the city of the future is still left off most people's must-know-and-visit list.
Île de Nantes. Photo: Jean-Dominique Billaud
Please follow me below the orange croissant for a journey to Nantes, the upcoming Ecocity World Summit, and the role of creativity in shaping the cities of the future. This article was originally published at Matador Network, with a few extra links & photos added by Yours Truly.