Avignon: questioning the peri-urban at a time of climate change
The urban area of Avignon is one of the most spread out in France, with 550,000 inhabitants, and extends over two departments (Vaucluse and Gard). “ Although it has existed for 3,000 years, Avignon has constantly evolved over the centuries. From XIVe century, with the arrival of the popes, until the 19e, with the opening of major communication routes (Rue de la République, Rue Thiers), the city has remained within its ramparts. It was only at the beginning of the XXe century that it emerges from the latter, with the creation of suburbs. After 1945, the city develops. And since the 1980s residential housing estates have been created, causing urban sprawl », presented in the preamble Michael Escande, adviser to the Order of Architects (OA) of Vaucluse. This suburbanization has continued, with in particular the emergence of new residential and economic districts (Courtine, Agropark). With an increasingly significant element in recent years: climate change. From then on, the suburbs of Avignon had to adapt to this new situation. Two eco-districts have thus emerged: John Joly and beautiful air (the latter being labeled QDM: Mediterranean Sustainable District).
Avignon-Confluence: three candidates still in the running
“Dialogue with architects allows the city to grow”
“ The current challenge in suburbanization is to put in place a real land policy to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants and which respects the environment. We must act today for the city of tomorrow », comments Cecile Helle, mayor of Avignon. The city councilor says he is “delighted” with the exchanges she has with the architects of Vaucluse and the Paca Region. “ Talking to them has nourished me a lot as an elected official. This dialogue allows us to grow together and make the city grow. It is through this collective approach that we will be able to build the city of tomorrow, profitable for all and virtuous for the environment. she added.
ANRU at the bedside of its construction sites in Vaucluse
Balancing residential land and agricultural land
And precisely, it is the latter that is in question in the recent Climate and Resilience law dated August 22, 2021. This law sets the objective of achieving zero net land take in 2050. In other words: stop nibbling on farmland. “ We have integrated too much on these. Now we have to think differently by making new pieces of town which respond to the triple challenge of preserving the environment, quality of life, and concern for disadvantaged populations “, details Paul Roger Gontarddeputy mayor of Avignon, delegate for territorial and urban development and major projects.
In this sense, the Avignon PLU for 2023 provides a balance between urban densification and the preservation of agricultural landespecially in “ marking the arrival of new inhabitants “, according to Paul-Roger Gontard. “ It is in fact a question of guiding their installation by identifying the emerging zones in the city of tomorrow [Avignon, NDLR]. For example: Confluence, Joly-Jean, Bel Air, Montfavet. And not only build housing but also build a place to live, with a real quality of life. Propose a collective and individual habitat with the presence of nature, human contact, a good volume in the building and in the housing. With the major requirement to take renewable energy into account from the design of the project “, he continues. The City’s PLU also prescribes soil dewatering requirementsin order to fight against the risks of flooding (in the event of flooding of the Rhône).
Thinking today about future changes in commercial areas
Always with a view to responding to this environmental challenge, the City of Avignon is conducting a reflection on the future transformations of commercial areas (in the event of their loss of speed), by presenting them with new uses: housing, offices, services, etc. The outskirts of Avignon have large shopping centers such as Avignon Nord, Mistral 7, Cap Sud. “ It is already necessary to anticipate the future changes of the artisanal zones and the commercial zones. For example, SCOT (Territorial Coherence Schemes) could identify priority commercial areas in terms of change of use. And think about what can be implemented instead: photovoltaics, housing, offices, etc. », explains Gilles Périlhou, director of theRhône-Avignon-Vaucluse Urban Planning Agency (AURAV).
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Create more “green lungs” in Mediterranean cities
For Cécile Helle, these reconversion spaces” can be used to revegetate the city to meet the challenge of climate change and maintain quality of life. Mediterranean cities will need green lungs even more than other cities in France. The question is how do we move from islands of heat to islands of coolness? “.
Matthieu Lardière, from the CAUE (Council of architecture, town planning and the environment) Vauclusethink that the challenge in terms of periurbanisation in the future will be “ more focused on the redevelopment/rehabilitation of buildings and less on new constructions, in order to respond to climate pressure “.