Last updated: October 2024
The Grand Parc des Aygalades project involves the creation of a 14-hectare metropolitan park (connecting Aygalades Park with Bougainville Park and François Billoux Park) that will connect the northern neighbourhoods of Marseille to the port located further south (Ref 1). This project is part of the green conversion of Marseille's northern districts, historically among the most disadvantaged areas in France (Ref 1). The Grand Parc des Aygalades project will enhance the city's greenery, reduce flood risks, create cool zones, restore and develop biodiversity, and significantly improve residents' quality of life and air quality (Ref 1, Ref 2). The environmental and social challenges include reconnecting the populations of these neighborhoods to green spaces, services, education, sports opportunities (Ref 2). The park project includes redesigning urban infrastructure to improve rainwater absorption and reduce flood risks, addressing the issue of impermeable and artificialized soils that exacerbate flooding during heavy rainfall (Ref 1). It also involves renaturing a 17-kilometre-long stream currently buried under railway tracks, improving flood management and rainwater drainage (Ref 1, Ref 4). The project will also convert a heavily degraded former industrial site, requiring the rehabilitation of polluted soils (Ref 1). Additionally, creating green corridors aims to mitigate the heat island effect, particularly severe in these northern districts due to the high concentration of buildings and concrete surfaces, and the lack of green spaces. Public participation will be encouraged through information meetings, thematic workshops, and an online platform for submitting ideas and feedback (Ref 4).
Plan de situation de l’opération Euromed II – source étude d’impact
Ref. 5
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
- Riverbank/Lakeside greens
- Green areas for water management
- Sustainable urban drainage systems
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
- Green corridors and green belts
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Environmental quality
- Air quality improvement
- Soil quality improvement
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Conversion of former industrial areas
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Enabling opportunities for physical activity
- Improving physical health
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social justice and equity
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Urban flooding (stormwater)
- Heat stress & Extreme temperatures
- Environmental Degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Soil degradation and loss
- Air pollution
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Limited economic opportunities and local livelihoods
- Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Inadequate access to recreational opportunities
- Disconnection from nature
- Social fragmentation and isolation
Key priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration), Social Justice and community
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of green corridors (including connectivity between urban and rural ecosystems), Creation of large parks and urban and peri-urban forests, Maintenance and management of urban nature, Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks), Creation of semi-natural blue areas, Implementation of green areas for water management (e.g. rain gardens), Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas, River rehabilitation/ restoration, Transformation of previously derelict areas, Post-industrial site regeneration
Project objectives
1) Revegetation and green space creation, addressing the severe deficit in parks, gardens, and natural areas in the northern neighbourhoods. (Ref 1)
2) To improve the absorption of rainwater and reduce the risks of flooding, particularly by addressing soil impermeability (Ref 1)
3) To restore and enhance biodiversity within the city (Ref 1)
4) To enhance the living conditions in the northern neighbourhoods (Ref 1)
5) To create cool zones through blue and green areas to cool down the temperature (Ref 1)
6) To improve air quality (Ref 1)
7) To reconnect the populations of these districts with green spaces, services, education, and sports opportunities (Ref 2)
Implementation activities
1) Creation of a green corridor along three parks, including tree planting, meadows and landscaping on a total surface of 20 ha (Ref 1)
2) Stream renaturation over 17-kilometer-long stream, including bringing it back to the surface where it was previously buried under railway tracks (Ref 1)
3) Landscape design and techniques for lowering the soil impermeability coefficient to improve rainwater absorption and reduce flood risks, making at least 60% of the total surface area permeable, compared with just 5% today (Ref 1)
3) Rehabilitation of polluted soils of a former industrial site (Ref 1)
4) Involving the public in the project through information meetings, thematic and educational workshops, and a digital platform for submitting ideas and feedback. (Ref 4)
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect
- Implement sustainable urban drainage schemes to manage stormwater
- Restore rivers and other fresh water bodies to reduce flood or drought risk
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Yes
Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities
Low-income neighborhoods, Urban heat islands, Communities near industrial areas, Communities located in floodplains
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Restore ecological connectivity
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Marginalized groups: Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed)
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Dissemination of information and education
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
- Euroméditerranée (local public agency) : lead the project (Ref 2)
- The city of Marseille: responsible for approving and facilitating the project (Ref 1)
- Marseille’s Metropolitan Authority: overseeing the integration of the park into the broader metropolitan area
- Mission Régionale d’Autorité environnementale de Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (Regional agency): consultation and approval
- West 8 Urban Design & Landscape architecture (Rotterdam), D’ici là (Paris) et Michel Desvignes Paysagistes (Paris) (private companies): landscape companies selected to implement the project
- residents and local communities: participating in public consultations (Ref 5)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The green redevelopment of Marseille's northern districts named Euromed 2: "The green redevelopment of Marseille's northern districts is part of a major urban renewal plan begun in the city in 1995, scheduled for completion by 2030." (Ref 1))
Type of enablers
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
More than €4,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Lowered local temperature
- Expected lowered local temperature
- Prevent the frequency and/or intensity of heatwaves
- Expected prevent the frequency and/or intensity of heatwaves
- Environmental quality
- Improved air quality
- Expected improved air quality
- Improved soil quality
- Expected improved soil quality
- Water management and blue areas
- Increased protection against flooding
- Expected increased protection against flooding
- Improved stormwater management
- Expected improved stormwater management
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Expected increased green space area
- Increased conversion of degraded land or soil
- Expected increased conversion of degraded land or soil
- Reduced biodiversity loss
- Expected reduced biodiversity loss
- Increased number of species present
- Expected increased number of species present
- Restoration of derelict areas
- Expected restoration of derelict areas
Economic impacts
- Stimulate development in deprived areas
- Expected stimulate development in deprived areas
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved liveability
- Expected improved liveability
- Improved access to urban green space
- Expected improved access to urban green space
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Expected increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Improved physical health
- Expected improved physical health
- Reduced risk of heatstroke and/or dehydration
- Expected reduced risk of heatstroke and/or dehydration
- Enhanced cognitive restoration, relaxation and stress relief
- Expected enhanced cognitive restoration, relaxation and stress relief
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Expected improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Safety
- Improved community safety to climate-related hazards
- Expected improved community safety to climate-related hazards
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
Id Verde (2023). Zoom sur la reconversion verte des quartiers nord de Marseille. Marseille: Id Verde, p. 4-9 Accessed on September 4, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Euroméditérannée (n.d.). Le parc du ruisseau des Aygalades. Marseille: Euroméditérannée, p. 1-2 Accessed on September 4, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Mission Régionale d’Autorité environnementale de Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (2018). Avis de la Mission Régionale d’Autorité environnementale de Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur sur le parc des Aygalades -. Marseille: Mission Régionale d’Autorité environnementale de Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur , p. 1-14 Accessed on September 4, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Made in Marseille (2023). Top départ le 3 octobre pour la concertation sur le futur grand parc du ruisseau des Aygalades. Marseille: Made in Marseille, p. 1-5 Accessed on September 4, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Rampal-Guiducci, J. (2023). Parc des Aygalades : Euroméditerranée retient trois groupements de paysagistes. Marseille: Gomet, p. 1-2 Accessed on September 4, 2024,;
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.