Plages Gaston Defferre

previous state

Marseilles, a metropolis with over one million inhabitants, enjoys a privileged location inside a large rocky bay. Paradoxically, this city of the sea and its surrounding area -of about 40 km- had never had long stretches of beach for their inhabitants to use. This was due to their topography. Moreover, the coast was becoming increasingly polluted due to the lack of sewage treatment plants, particularly in the most accessible zone of the bay of Marseilles on the south side of the city, where the alluvial plain crossed by the mouth of the River Huveaune comes out. Here the strip of coastline had been reduced to a very narrow beach which backed on to a dual carriageway where sand had begun to encroach. Furthermore, the less accessible, northern zone of the bay had been used to build a commercial port in the nineteenth century.

aim of the intervention

These problems were such that, in 1973, an ambitious plan was mooted. It was promoted by the Municipal Council and Gaston Defferre's team and had as its aim the renewal of the southern coastline of Marseilles. In the first instance, it was necessary to fill in this shallow river plain and alter the course of the Huveaune. This would make it possible to create new beaches, an area where people could learn to sail and a string of public parks and recreational areas. The problem of water pollution would be solved and the waste materials from the outlet (where the course of the river had been altered) and the building of the metro, put to a rational use. With this ambitious programme ahead, a multidisciplinary working team was formed under the auspices of the General Secretariat for Expansion. At the same time, the inhabitants and residents' associations engaged in a series of discussions with the authorities in order to define the educational, sporting and cultural aspects of the project.

description

Work began in 1975, following the alteration of the course of the River Huveaune. The first beach opened two years later and successive interventions took place during different phases, in 1986, 1991 and 1995. The formalisation of the project was based on cleaning up the southern inlet of the city and the natural regeneration of its waters. Almost 50 Ha of reclaimed land has been gained, creating a new three-kilometre stretch of beaches protected from the heavy waves and the wind. As far as the landscaping is concerned, special care was taken not to block the view of the sea and to ensure that the new intervention linked sympathetically with the already existing stretch.

The municipal nautical base to the north of the zone has been refurbished and expanded. International underwater cables have been refitted and maintenance work carried out under the sea floor.

The whole project has created 33 Ha of seaside parks and 9 Ha of beach (a 3 km line) divided into 7 new beaches for the inhabitants (from north to south: Plage du Petit Roucas-Blanc, Plage du Grand Roucas-Blanc, Plage du Prado, Plage des Veliplanchistes, Plage de Borely, Plage de Bonneveine and Plage de la Vieille Chapelle). These large expanses of beach and recreational areas all have parking zones, public services, play areas and versatile sculptures.

assessment

The refurbishment of the southern coast of Marseilles has been a long and costly process due to its scope and complexity (determined by existing climatic and topographic factors). For this reason, it is not yet fully completed; the beach at Point Rouge (the last beach planned further to the south) still has still to be reclaimed. The intervention has established a covering of plants by the sea which was specially designed to maintain its qualities (every evening it is watered by a remote-controlled system) and to withstand large numbers of people. The regeneration of the flora and fauna has been possible because of the dikes and the building of sewage works. This "invented landscape" has enjoyed great success and is used by large numbers of people: 1.4 million in 1986 and 3.5 million in 1994. There can be no doubt that this is the most noteworthy and positive aspect of the project. Visitors to the beach come from all the districts in the city and are from a variety of backgrounds. A special bus service has been set up in order to make it easier for inhabitants living in more remote areas to get to the beaches.

Albert García Espuche, architect