From ideas to process-projects
Europan 16 - Niort (FR)
« Mutual Valleys »
Project strategy family:
- Ecological connections
- Inclusive morphologies
- Inventive typologies
- Reinterpreted heritage
- Urban articulations
Process category:
- Direct order processes
- Competitive processes
- Co-creative processes
- Collaborative processes
- Participative processes
- Participation of the Living processes
- Adaptative legal framework processes
Authors: Atelier Kosmes (Mélissandre Phan, Toumi Omrane, FR)
Client(s): Niort Agglo (Niortais Agglomeration)
Dates: 2021 - 2026
Driving forces: TEAM
Site
Niort (FR)
BETWEEN CITY AND MARSHLANDS
SCALE XL/L SIZE 39km2 / from 100ha to 500ha
It is a question of revitalizing a ring of abandoned spaces in the first periphery of the centre of Niort, by taking care of the interfaces with the neighbouring municipalities: Strengthen the position of agriculture, assisting in transformations and diversification; Develop the potentials for tourism and micro-tourism based on natural, cultural and landscape heritage; Improve city entrances and main thoroughfares of Niort; Develop the use and frequency of nature areas while protecting them.
Awarded Idea
Project - Ideas
Mutual Valleys
If Niort was initially established by taking advantage of the geographical opportunities and resources of the Poitevin territory, it has gradually turned away from it under the influence of its economic development. Its urban morphology is becoming homogenised and is developing in a systemic way along radial service roads. It disregards the permeabilities necessary for the territory to cope with future climate hazards. "Mutual Valleys" proposes to make the Niortaise valleys the framework of a spontaneous resilience, supporting the regeneration of the ecological, hydrological, pedological and urban functions of the territory. The project proposes to reconsider the valleys of the Niortaise agglomeration as alternative structuring axes of development for a living city.
Project Strategy
Family: Ecological connections
STRENGTHENING SYNERGIES BETWEEN ECOLOGICAL FABRICS, HYDROLOGICAL SYSTEMS, AND SOFT MOBILITY
Following a competitive process involving the three prize-winning teams, the team was entrusted with two "demonstrator" areas—"Route de Nantes" and "Interface Aiffres-Niort"—as part of an experimental iitiative to transform the city entrances within the Niort urban area. The goal was to identify and define specific project sites and tdetailing intervention strategies.
For the Route de Nantes area, the urban and landscape design study —which is both operational and experimental in nature— extends beyond the roadway itself. It encompasses the interactions between plateaus and valleys, allowing for an approach that addresses urban, hydrological, and landscape functions within the context of broader territorial dynamics. Consequently, "porosity" is created between the northern neighborhoods and the Sèvre Niortaise valley to the south through soft mobilities; the business park is integrated into a new hydro-landscape fabric that respects the agricultural-urban interface; and the Route de Nantes is reimagined as a connecting link serving the surrounding urban sectors and key points of interest.
Furthermore, the team identified two stormwater discharge points linked to the neighborhood’s watersheds areas: a rain garden located within a residential block and a floodable park along the banks of the Sèvre Niortaise. These discharge points can also accommodate new urban uses and functions, serve as focal points, or act as links between neighborhoods.
For the Aiffres-Niort interface area, which exhibits various types of physical barriers, the team identified opportunities to bridge this divide: a combination of water-management features, landscaping, and soft mobilities allows for the revitalization of neglected crossings over the boulevard and improves connectivity. These elements make it possible to transform the Aiffres-Niort corridor into a streetscape with the character of a town centre —creating public spaces that offer both user comfort and a pleasant microclimate, thereby paving the way for higher-quality developments.
Finally, the team proposes depaving and greening the parking lots in business zones, using the Intermarché parking lot—located at the interface between Niort and Aiffres—as a case study.
The study also re-examines work processes and tools by proposing a methodology for implementation (the prototype), governance, the involvement of various stakeholders (private and public), and the alignment of regulatory documents.
Process
Category(ies): Competitive processes, Participation of the Living processes
Competitive processes
Following the competition, the urban community launched a restricted tender to the three rewarded teams for an urban and landscape design study with an operational and experimental focus on three of the four sites proposed to Europan.
The team won the contract for lot #2 and 3 —Route de Nantes and Interface Aiffres-Niort.
Participation of the Living processes
For this study, the team is working on regenerating the sites’ ecological, hydrological, pedological and urban functions.
