Parc de la Porte d'Aix

Parc de la Porte d'Aix

UAn authentic part of nature at the heart of Marseille

The Parc de la Porte d’Aix aims to provide the Saint-Charles district with a fully pedestrianised, public parkland of more than one hectare, closed at night and guarded by day. This development, the works for which will begin in 2019, replaces a motorway roundabout in the centre of which an embankment with few trees and very difficult to maintain was the only parkland there.

One hectare of greenery suited to the Mediterranean climate

During the studies conducted by Euroméditerranée in partnership with the landscaping company from Alsace, Alfred Peter, the project’s successful tenderer, the partners and the residents, the project took shape and saw the surface area of the planted areas significantly increase. In particular it was decided that the Turenne west embankment, with around fifty adult trees would be kept and the artificial lawn initially planned would be withdrawn in favour of natural lawns and trees.

The development work which started in June 2017 is currently being completed. Once completed, the Parc de la Porte d’Aix will welcome 72% open parkland and 28% mineral surfaces (multisports fields, riprap and pedestrian areas) over its 11,000m². Added to that is 8,000 m² of planted areas on the future slope of Aix Marseilles University. The plantations are completely compatible with the Mediterranean climate and are inspired by the natural landscapes in the region, even in the choice of 100 trees already planted and 300 others remaining to be planted. This authentic part of nature in the very heart of the town is an integral part of the Euroméditerranée global strategy aiming for highly developed urban biodiversity to reduce the Marseilles heat island.

A new system for controlling the park’s water use

In-depth discussions took place as to management of the park, especially for minimising water use during maintenance. An innovative solution, "UrbaSense", is used to control and adjust tree watering by tensiometry. This technology controls soil humidity daily and determines the quantity of water available for plants for more effective root anchoring. It is currently being tested on around ten plantations.

Le parc de la Porte d'Aix in figures

• 1 hectare
• 72% of parkland
• 3.2 million Euros investment out of the €11M for the “coeur de ZAC” operation
• Almost 400 new trees planted on open land