Toulouse: two years after their inauguration, the difficult animation of the ramblas
The redevelopment work of the Jean-Jaurès alleys gave birth to the ramblas at the end of 2019, after three years of work. Since then, they have struggled to attract Toulouse residents. The installation of animations is done gradually.
Deserts. The ramblas, this Saturday morning, are empty, as often. Sporadically, they are crossed with hatred by Toulouse residents. On one of the concrete benches, Jamel is smoking a cigarette. “I’m just passing through,” he explains. I did not know this place but I really like the vegetation. It’s a shame, there aren’t many people…”.
At the bottom of the esplanade, a handful of Toulousains sell cakes to help people suspended “because of the vaccination obligation”. “It’s true that there is little passage, recognizes Wilfrid, the organizer . Above all, we wait 2 p.m. to sell our cakes. The demonstrators are visiting us”.
Two years after their inauguration, the ramblas are struggling to attract people. “We are used to the idea that we do not find in a precise way the idea of adequate animations. We first had to deliver this achievement so that the people of Toulouse could take ownership of it. Over time, we will find ideas, ”appointed Jean-Luc Moudenc on December 23, 2019. Since then, the installation of animations has hobbled.
Every year, the Christmas tree attracts the inhabitants of the central island for a few weeks. A designer market that stretches over a few meters on certain days timidly animates the huge esplanade. But most of the time, the ramblas are a place of passage. And even. They are when the people of Toulouse deign to cross the street, often preferring longer paths on the sidewalks, widened to 15 meters during the redevelopment work.
Food truck break
As soon as the work was completed, two calls for projects were launched. They proved unsuccessful. But the Capitole, anxious to liven up the central esplanade, has called on food trucks. In 2021, four have settled. Two others should join them in the following weeks. “If the town hall offers us to settle, it is because the animation is lacking, recognizes a manager of one of the kitchens on wheels. I think that gradually, the ramblas will be transformed and become a place of life”.
The arrival of food-trucks is part of the response to this lack of entertainment. At noon and in the evening, residents collect dishes.
Post-covid, synonymous with renewal?
The Covid-19 also paralyzes the animation of the ramblas. The town hall of Toulouse is studying the organization of festivities on the esplanade, which will probably see the light of the health crisis. Another project is under study: the installation of kiosks. “Before launching this project, everything must be checked. When everything is operational, we will launch it. But it takes time, the steps are a little more cumbersome, ”says Cécile Dufraisse, deputy mayor in charge of the commercial occupation of the public domain.
And if the ramblas were finally thought out in time? That explained the sluggish animation. The Grand Matabiau project could also benefit the esplanade. We can imagine that one day, in a more or less distant future, the central island of the Jean-Jaurès alleys will be like the ramblas of Barcelona, Montpellier or Béziers.