Five large parks will emerge in the Toulouse agglomeration: here is how this vast project is materializing
By David Saint-Sernin
Published on
Create five major parks to preserve natural continuities in the agglomeration and promote islands of freshness in the city, it is the project of Toulouse Metropolis to maintain biodiversity in the city and enhance green spaces that already exist, but which have been little valued so far.
A work in progress
Announced Spring 2019 and although little is said about it, the creation of these five large parks in the Toulouse conurbation is still topical. And she is considered all the more important after this summer of 2022 during which the Pink City and the surrounding municipalities suffocated like never before.
However, each of the five projects requires a consensus between the different municipalities concerned. In fact, the construction site for this network is progressing slowly and most of the time underground, although for each of the parks, occasional developments have already been made.
For four years, the map of these five parks has not changed. The parks are known: the Grand Parc Touch to the west of the agglo, the Grand Parc Margelle, the Grand Parc Garonne, the Grand Parc Canal and the Grand Parc de l’Hers.
Where will these parks be located?
The five large parks called are spread over the four rooms of the Pink City.
![The map of the five major parks that will be created in the Toulouse conurbation.](https://static.actu.fr/uploads/2022/10/parcs-854x640.png)
From Touch to the Garonne…
The Grand Parc du Touch will be located furthest to the west. It will start near the possible future Jean-Maga station of 3e metro line and go down to the Ramée leisure centre. It extends over 13 kilometers. “An oasis of freshness enclosed in a fabric that is undergoing a dynamic urbanization, this park makes it possible to preserve natural spaces by depending on different sectors that are currently insufficiently connected,” explains Toulouse Métropole.
the Grand Parc Margelle will start near the Purpan hospital and go down to the southern end of Toulouse, near the Portet-Sur-Garonne shopping area. This 8 km park will provide consistency between several sites such as the Barry garden, the University of Mirail or the Reynerie park.
the Grand Parc Garonne is the best known of the five and also the most advanced since it has been ten years since various facilities have been created along the Garonne, from the north of Toulouse to the Oncopole.
The best-known project of this Grand Parc Garonne is currently taking place on the island of Ramier with various achievements, in particular the creation of four footbridges.
… From the canal to Hers
the Canal du Grand Parc also follows the curves of the Canal du Midi over 18.5 km and concerns
the Brienne Canal and the Lateral Canal. Its particular mission will be to highlight the many historic buildings that will be on the banks such as the Radoub slipway (our photo below).
![La Cale du Radoub is one of the sites to be enhanced as part of the construction of the Grand Parc Canal.](https://static.actu.fr/uploads/2022/10/20210708-111605.jpg)
The Grand Parc located further east of the city will be the Grand Parc de l’Hers, from Aucamville to the future Malepère district. “It will extend over an alluvial valley, over a 28 km stretch on the edge of Toulouse. The creation of a large park on an extended territory leads to taking up the challenge of preserving biodiversity and natural spaces, in a sector under urban pressure and crossed by transport infrastructure,” announces Toulouse Métropole.
![The Hers crosses the east of Toulouse. It is along this river that will emerge the Grand Parc de l'Hers, over 28 kilometres.](https://static.actu.fr/uploads/2022/10/20200123-134813.jpg)
In the years to come, it will also be crossed by a new ring road interchange, the East Junction, located at the level of the Cité de l’Espace. But the damage to the natural environment “will be compensated elsewhere on the territory of the future park assures François Chollet”.
What is a large park?
“These large spaces which are going to be strengthened should not be assumed to be like the green spaces that we know in the heart of Toulouse. These are much more extensive natural continuities that we want to exploit and restore”, recalls François Chollet, the elected official in charge of monitoring this major project.
The objective is to make these large spaces which are today fragmented coherent and to ensure that in the future they are taken into consideration in the town planning strategy of the agglomeration.
In the future, Toulouse residents could of course go for walks or bike rides there, but certain spaces could also be preserved or dedicated to specific activities, such as agriculture in the Grand Parc de l’Hers.
Comment on advanced thinking
Each of the five projects has progressed at its own pace over the past four years. “The methodology, on territories that are different, remains the same. We listened to the municipalities involved in each project, there are 13 for example on the Grand Parc de l’Hers project, and we asked them what their expectations were. Based on these observations, a Plan-Guide will be published for each project and a perimeter will be established with consequences in terms of town planning within the perimeter,” explains François Chollet.
Plan Guide in 2023
After thinking about the zones, the perimeters of these large parks will be specified and the parks will now be protected by regulation in all planning documents.
For the Grand Parc de l’Hers, before the drafting of the Plan Guide at the beginning of 2023, four themes were selected:
- farming
- Nature
- Urban development
- Mobility
Some of these themes, in particular mobility, will be common to the various projects.
These major orientations, taken into account in each guide plan, will then be put together with the inhabitants.
Every week, receive our best articles on the environment and ecology by email. Sign up here, it’s free!
Was this article helpful to you? Know that you can follow Actu Toulouse in space My News . In one click, after registration, you will find all the news of your favorite cities and brands.