Commitment 04Read more
Renewed Governance
Promote dialogue between the City and the Port within a renewed governance framework.
Adopting a land management policy that strikes a balance between urban uses and the active port, especially on the waterfront.
How can the right balance be struck between the spatial needs of the port and city?
Creating buffer areas between the existing or future urban front and the port activity allows the city and port to coexist more efficiently while providing living space. Such buffer areas could include urban buffer zones with offices, small businesses, and cultural facilities. Additionally, creating port-city buffer areas with low-impact port facilities such as small-scale logistics, vessel services, and river traffic could also be a solution. Finally, creating green buffer zones that preserve predominantly rural areas or establishing new green spaces can further help achieve harmonious coexistence. Le Havre used a former port area to buffer a new neighbourhood from the port, creating a leisurely green space for the city.
This good practice also includes objective 4.5 (Adopting a land management policy that strikes a balance between urban uses and the active port, especially on the waterfront) of the AIVP’s 2030 Agenda.
The Eure district in Le Havre is situated between the port and the city and is steeped in maritime history. One of its sections used to be a port area but was freed up after some modernisation of maritime activities. This has resulted in the development of various urban projects, including the creation of the River Garden or “Jardin Fluvial”. This new green space provides a transitional area between the city, ship repair activities, storage and construction of offshore windmill elements, and cold-storage warehouses opposite. The site commands views of an active port while acting as a buffer zone, ensuring the physical distance necessary for port and urban activities to coexist in harmony. It also provides a leisure and living space in the heart of a district that contains both residential units and small businesses. The area has been landscaped to maintain the link to its industrial and port heritage, thereby helping to preserve its identity and attractiveness. The materials were carefully chosen to achieve this; sandstone and granite paving stones, and old granite borders bring back the original character, and new materials such as lint concrete from the Bay of Seine, cast iron and sandstone bring a feeling of unity to the area.
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