Commitment 03Read more
Sustainable Mobility
A New Transportation System to Connect the City and the Port
Reducing the negative impacts of periods of peak activity in the City Port territory by any means possible.
How can softer mobility options be developed for citizens?
Integrating port-city territories into the urban structure can be achieved by extending existing physical communication infrastructure, such as roads and rails. Also, new types of connection infrastructure are needed to help end the physical isolation of these sites: pedestrian access, bicycle paths, tramways, buses, etc. These new links will be essential when railways or highways have cut off access to parts of the port for the public. In some situations, the dismantling of big structures can also help. This was the case in Marseille, where a highway’s demolition allowed the construction of a boulevard reconnecting the city and port.
This good practice also includes objective 8.3 (Developing public spaces and recreational or cultural amenities in Port City interface zones to create an appealing new area) of the AIVP’s 2030 Agenda.
The Joliette Docks in Marseille were once separated from their maritime front by a highway overpass. They were filled with empty warehouses and abandoned railway yards. However, with the overpass demolition and the tunnel construction, a 2.5 km urban boulevard was created between Fort Saint-Jean and the CMA-CGM tower on the new Port-City interface. This boulevard, called the “Boulevard du littoral”, was inaugurated in May 2013 and later renamed “Boulevard Euroméditerranée” in 2015. The project was designed by a team comprising Yves Lion, the architect François Kern and the landscape architect firm Ilex. The new boulevard is 45 m wide, with space for pedestrian and cycling paths, and it benefits from the extensive installations located on the perimeter of the Euroméditerranée operation: the Mucem, Villa Méditerranée, the Regards de Provence Foundation Museum, Terrasses du Port, Quais d’Arenc, etc. The project, which stretched in its construction over 15 years between 2001 to 2016, allows the linear integration of the whole area while creating inclusive public spaces and revealing forgotten heritage. It was named “Best urban regeneration project” at the MIPIM Awards in 2015. Over the last ten years, the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille and Euroméditerranée have contributed to a sweeping transformation in the waterfront area.
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