Graduate profile: Rodrigue Zampasi-Bau

I was first drawn to law, specifically public law. I studied it for five years at Panthéon-Assas University. I first discovered urban planning from a legal perspective: planning documents, procedures, urban planning litigation, etc. Despite its complexity, I really enjoyed the subject. So much so that in my fourth year, I wanted to do a "professional semester" in urban planning. I was lucky enough to find an internship in the regulatory urban planning department of the city of Cergy. My main task was to respond to the mayor's request to implement a policy for renovating building facades. What should I do? Recommend a simple decree? Or go further, but how? Cergy is a new city, a heritage city with its village street, its port, the Axe Majeur, the mark of Ricardo Bofill... My legal perspective was not enough to properly understand this task. I had to produce maps with GIS, consult colleagues in the operational urban planning department, walk through all the city's neighborhoods, delve into the archives, realize that the facades of buildings from the 1970s were very colorful, propose a system for assessing the condition of facades, and then provide support and incentives to owners. I worked with department heads who were passionate about urban planning and fascinating people, one a lawyer and the other an architect. Thanks to this internship, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer and urban planner. So, after completing my master's degree in local government law and a work-study program as a corporate lawyer, I took the plunge and enrolled in the Urban Planning Program.

In a nutshell, I renovate train stations and make them accessible to people with reduced mobility. I am a project manager at SNCF Gares et Connexions. In this role, I act as the project owner during the design and construction phases. My projects involve installing elevators, raising platforms, deploying equipment adapted for people with reduced mobility, renovating buildings or engineering structures, and adapting platforms to the new RER C trains. To do this, I lead project teams, consisting mainly of project management assistants (operations managers, technical controllers, CSPS, technical project management assistants, etc.), project management (project manager, design office, site manager), and a contract manager. I work closely with local authorities, residents, the station operator (Transilien), and maintenance providers (energy, building, telecoms) to feed into studies, respond to user needs, and organize construction sites while ensuring the safety of passengers and workers. As the person responsible for works contracts, I manage calls for tenders in collaboration with buyers and project managers. Finally, I ensure that contracts are correctly executed and that the facilities created in the station are handed over to the operator and maintenance contractors in accordance with SNCF's internal standards and regulations for establishments open to the public. Among the achievements I am proud of, in 2024 we made 12 stations on the RER C line between Paris Austerlitz and Porte de Clichy accessible, some of which provide access to the Olympic and Paralympic Games sites. 

Without hesitation, the group project! On the one hand, because we had a great project: proposing to a municipality the development of several hectares of industrial wasteland in the heart of a medium-sized, dynamic city. On the other hand, the group I belonged to combined complementary disciplines, and we got along very well. I have maintained strong friendships to this day, more than 10 years after the end of the program!

Be bold! Often, we don't feel qualified to apply for a particular job. After several unsuccessful applications, I thought operational positions weren't for me because I'm neither an engineer nor an architect. Life had more imagination than I did. I think we can have confidence in the quality of our training. The Urban Planning program provides a foundation in project management. Urban planners, like project managers, are great conductors. We are the link between different parties. We reformulate needs. We plan and know how to meet deadlines. So be bold, apply, and if the SNCF appeals to you, let's discuss it over a drink