Last updated: October 2024
The project to revitalize the Huveaune River and its biodiversity is taking place in Aubagne, a city within the Marseille Metropolitan area. For a long time, the river received little attention, constrained by urbanization, and was even covered for several hundred meters. Urbanization and the construction of a road have made the floodplain more susceptible to flooding (Ref 2). The initiative aims not only to restore the Huveaune and its environment but also to strengthen the connection between residents and the river (Ref 1) while reducing flood risk as a critical objective (Ref 1). The challenge is transforming the area into a higher-quality environmental space with resilient ecosystems. A diagnostic conducted during the project's design phase revealed the site's degraded state, including the presence of invasive species, steep banks unsuitable for riparian vegetation, poor waterway conservation, and disrupted ecological continuity (Ref 2). Key actions include revitalizing the river and its biodiversity, removing artificial banks, and creating new meanders to give the river a more natural shape. Diversifying flow patterns will create habitats for aquatic and fish species by varying water heights and flow speeds. This involves increasing the river's sinuosity and varying the width of the minor riverbed (Ref 2). Additional steps include planting trees and shrubs adapted to the Mediterranean climate with low water needs (Ref 2). To bring residents closer to the river, plans include creating walking and cycling routes, sports equipment, educational panels, and useful visitor facilities such as benches, water points, and restrooms (Ref 3).
Parc de l'Huveaune - Project to revitalize the river and its biodiversity
https://www.laprovence.com/article/region/23506155289400/un-consensus-trouve-le-projet-du-parc-de-lhuveaune-verra-bien-le-jour-a-aubagne accessed on 06/09/2024
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
- Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- 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
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- River flooding
- Urban flooding (stormwater)
- Environmental Degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Invasive alien species
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Rapid urbanization
- Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
Key priorities
Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)
Focus
Maintenance and management of urban nature, Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks), Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas, River rehabilitation/ restoration, Restoration, protecion and sustainable manage floodplains, Restoration of riparian vegetation, Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Ecological restoration of existing green spaces, Restoration and protection of ecosystems (including water ecosystems), Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity, Clearing out invasive alien species and allow natural regeneration maintaining the functionality the ecosystem, Species-specific monitoring and conservation programs
Project objectives
1) Environmental restoration and biodiversity enhancement of the river and riverbanks (Ref 1).
2) Improving environmental quality and creating resilient ecosystems (Ref 2).
3) Strengthening the connection between residents and the river (Ref 1).
4) Reducing the risk of flooding (Ref 1, Ref 2).
5) Enhancing the living environment for residents (Ref 2).
6) Promoting public access and recreational use of the river area (Ref 3).
7) Ensuring the project meets the public's needs and expectations through community engagement activities (Ref 2)
Implementation activities
Environmental restoration and biodiversity enhancement:
- Conduct seasonal inventories of fauna and flora until summer 2024 (Ref 2).
- Plant a grove of 300 shrubs (Ref 2).
- Remove artificial riverbanks to restore natural ones where possible (Ref 2).
- Soften the slope of the banks to ensure natural stability and reestablishment of a wide, diverse riparian zone that ensures ecological, continuity and renewal (Ref 2).
- Diversify flow patterns to create habitats for aquatic and fish species by varying water heights and flow speeds through increased river sinuosity and varying the width of the riverbed (Ref 2).
- Vegetate the entire park with species adapted to the Mediterranean climate, using rapid vegetation development techniques (Ref 3).
- fight against invasive species by restoring native species (Ref 2)
Urban and public space development:
- De-impermeabilize the plaza of the Espace des Libertés (Ref 2).
- De-impermeabilize and enhance the basin in the Botte Park (Ref 3).
- creation of walk trails and bicycle routes (Ref 1)
- Install useful visitor facilities, such as benches, water points, and restrooms (Ref 3).
- Develop spaces for relaxation and leisure, including sports areas and children's playgrounds (Ref 3).
- Ensure accessibility for people with reduced mobility (Ref 3).
- Install observation decks and educational panels (Ref 2).
Community engagement:
- public meetings and consultations (Ref 2)
- proposition of several scenarios (Ref 2)
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Yes
Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities
Communities located in floodplains
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Restore native species
- Clear and control invasive alien species
- Public engagement
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
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)
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
- Citizen monitoring and review
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
- Project led by the city of Aubagne and the Metropole Aix-Marseille-Provence and partnered with EPAGE (public water development and management establishment) HuCA (Huveaugne, côtier, aygalages) (local public agency)
- Consultation and engagement of the public
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Type of enablers
Capacity-building projects, Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships)
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Water management and blue areas
- Increased protection against flooding
- Expected increased protection against flooding
- Enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems
- Expected enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Expected increased green space area
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Expected increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
- Expected increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
- Increased number of species present
- Expected increased number of species present
- Improved prevention or control of invasive alien species
- Expected improved prevention or control of invasive alien species
Economic impacts
- Unknown
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
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- 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
- Education
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Expected increased knowledge of locals about local 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
Yes
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.
City of Aubagne (2024). Revitalisation de L’Huveaune et de sa biodiversité : concertation jusqu’au 21 juin. Aubagne: City of Aubagne, p. 1 Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];
2.
EPAGE HUCA (n.d.). Parc de l’Huveaune – Projet de revitalisation du fleuve et de sa biodiversité. Aubagne: EPAGE HUCA, p. 1-5 Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];
3.
EPAGE HUCA (2024). Le Parc de l’Huveaune en centre-ville Revitalisation du fleuve et de sa biodiversité . Aubagne: EPAGE HUCA, p. 1-24 Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Le Moniteur (2023.). Bouches-du-Rhône : lancement des travaux de création du parc de l’Huveaune, à Aubagne. Aubagne: Le Moniteur, p. 1-2 Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];
5.
DISDIER, I. (2024.). "Un consensus" trouvé, le projet du parc de l'Huveaune verra bien le jour à Aubagne. Aubagne: La Provence, p. 1 Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];
6.
INSEE (2021). demographics in Aubagne. Aubagne: INSEE, Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];
meander creation plan for the Huveaune park
https://www.epagehuca.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/PPT-restitution-19.06.2024.pdf accessed on 06/09/2024
The example of a renaturation project for the Huveaune and its surroundings.
Ref. 2: Photos of the Confluence park in Auriol (July 2023)
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.