Reengaging with utopia is  a serious option in a world confronted with climate change. Because the resources of imagination are endless.
The Festival Constructive Utopias, dedicated to collective experimentation in architecture, returns to where everything started to go wrong to change its trajectory: Richelieu, France. Flashback: In 1631, French King Louis XIII offered a domain to Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642), who entrusted Jacques Lemercier (1585-1654), architect of two major landmarks in Paris ( The Sorbonne University and the Palais-Royal) with the task of building a vast castle as "a reflection of his greatness," and a new city "to accommodate his court." Nearly 2000 workers were employed on the construction site, which was almost completed at the death of the Cardinal.

As an unique example of 17th-century urban planning in France, the town of Richelieu, between Touraine, Anjou, and Poitou, has just under 2000 inhabitants. In its park Constructive Utopia will be present on Saturday, April 13th: Elke Mittmann and Marie-Pierre Terrien's itinerant conference "Villes utopiques (Utopian Cities)", a debate "Is Utopia Possible? " with Alice Carabédian, Cédric Libert, Sébastien Marot, Xavier Wrona, a performance by Lei Saito, a performative conference "Construire avec l’air (Building with Air)" by Benjamin Gallis, a debate "Construire avec les sciences (Building with Sciences)" with Edouard Cabay - IAAC, Francesca Guerrieri - INSERM, Marc Leyral - ENSAPLV, screenings, concerts, etc.
The highlight of the day will be the inauguration of the first experimental willow footbridge to continue a project started four centuries ago.

Also, AHA will have the honor of moderating the debate "Tech is more?" with Isabelle Marandet (Saint-Gobain), Matthieu Molet, and Philippe Rizzoti.