Guérande (FR)

Inhabited milieu's challenges

Guérande is part of a territory that is coastal, rural, and peri-urban and characterized by a strong interde- pendence between man and nature.The proportion of agricultural, natural and forest areas and aquatic environments represents 81% of the municipal territory.As for the urban center, it is located 5 kilometers from the coast. It is located on the top of a hillside overlooking a territory almost entirely surrounded by fresh and salt water called the Presqu’île Guérandaise.
Between estuaries, marshes and ocean, the territory is made up of a hydrographic network whose many primary and tourist activities are directly linked to its identity and its assets.This specificity also translates into a strong residential attractiveness and vulnerabilities for the territory: risk of flooding, availability of water resources, coastal erosion, global warming, in connection with the capacity of the territory to adapt to its «drying» nature due to the presence of many marshes.
Because of its unique nature, the territory is fragile, the balance of the different eco-systems is delicate. This ecological quality of the territory, recognized by a national and European classification, is subject to the pressure of urbanization. In this context, it becomes necessary to take an interest in the reinforcement of the biodiversity while integrating the need of the city to develop and to satisfy new needs for its inhabi- tants.

Questions to the competitors

The city of Guérande is known for its ramparts and its salt marshes. Its attractiveness is proven. But it is also illustrated by its duality: it concentrates centrality functions but with an urban structure that may seem unsui- table and which operates within a constrained heritage framework where facilities must both respect the old city while adapting to the new needs and challenges of tomorrow.
Under the program «Petites Villes de Demain», three thematic axes have been identified, which reflect a desire to revitalize extra-mural sectors and to create connections with the larger territory.
— Requalification of public spaces: The city wishes to enhance and create specific public spaces. Their networ- king must contribute to consolidating the routes through the city and connecting the various centralities in an extended conception of the centrality of Guérande.
— Housing: The territory is struggling to attract new inhabitants because of the price of real estate on the coast, and the preservation of facilities is weakened. Proposals must focus on new forms of residential housing that are sustainable and economical in terms of land consumption. The offer must be attractive, affordable and aimed at families.
— Process: The city wishes to engage a coherent approach with the issues of the territory while bringing an innovative and experimental character to the operations they wish to implement.
The city suggests thinking through the prism of an urban figure that crosses the city from north to south. It is made up of three project poles where operational sites are identified: the Parc de la Coulée Verte and the Atha- nor sector to the north of the city center, and the Parc du Petit Paradis to the south. In the center, the tour of the ramparts presents neglected public spaces on each side of the city walls. The aim is to enhance these spaces and link them together via an urban and unifying narrative.