2017 / Mottemorfosis / A – Ideas
TOURSCAPES: NEW USES FOR OLD TERRITORIES
The Mediterranean coast of the Gulf of Lion, South of France, is famous by its tourist offer, a great project from the postwar period that overcrowded the coast with new cities and marinas to enjoy the summer. But this territory, a landscape full of giant marshes, is a lively and dynamic ecosystem that fights for not loosing its place despite being surrounded by cities, infrastructures and disturbances.
With this proposal, the model of the touristic city of La Grande-Motte, which turns its back on the territory and whose marina modifies the dynamics of coast, is criticized. The project tries to give an answer to the natural dynamics of the territory that have been affected by tourists and locals, understanding that there is not only the coast of sea (first coast), but also the rear coast of the brackish lagoon ( second coast) that supposes one of the areas of greatest biodiversity in France and has historically been the soul of this territory.
- Second coast: canalized rivers, extensive agriculture, cities in growth and the forgetfulness of nature, have generated drastic changes in the edges of the lagoon. The strategy is to recognize its value and give the landscape the tools to heal itself, creating a resilient landscape.
- First coast: How to introduce a forgotten landscape inside La Grande-Motte and avoid the fragmentation of the coastal edge caused by the infrastructures? The proposal aims to recreate the landscape dynamics of the territory in the city in a pedagogic way to connect the city with the lagoon by creating a new green axis that will cross the city and will finish in a dynamic flooding park that will replace the existing marina, meaning a new focal point for the city.
