Sian d’Aqui: What actions do you plan to take to support the return of the court of appeals?
Patrick Mottard: The distance of the court in Aix-en-Provence from Nice harms the functioning of justice and detaches the population from their legal rights and duties. Moreover, how do we manage the contradiction between a logic of energy saving and sustainable development on one part, and on the other part, the financial and environmental consequences of the countless travels of litigants and their lawyers?
However, this issue remains under the exclusive authority of the state and the Ministry of Justice.
The only action that can be taken by the municipality is lobbying. This will be all the more relevant and effective as it mobilizes the broadest range of local stakeholders.
A mobilization of the entire Côte d’Azur, representing nearly a million inhabitants, will be necessary. It must be led by the mayor of Nice, the city’s main magistrate, and legal experts.
I therefore plan to bring together in a common approach: magistrates, lawyers, economic actors, unions, elected officials, local political decision-makers… I will launch a major initiative involving all the people of Nice and the Azureans expressing their will and the need for a court of appeals.
Sian d’Aqui: What structure will be installed at the location of the current Gare du Sud?
Patrick Mottard: We plan to make the train des pignes a “tram-train”, which will completely remodel the neighborhood and allow its enhancement through urban transformation operations. This restructuring will facilitate the rehabilitation of the whole area, from Liberation to the SNCF station.
Regarding the Gare du Sud site, urban development must revitalize the centrality of “la Libé” square for the people of Nice as it was before. This arrangement should therefore include services for residents (municipal police, meeting rooms for associations, sports facilities…).
The large hall, with the restored glass roof, must be the heart of a rehabilitated Gare du Sud. Moving the market to halls does not seem like a good idea as all this space would be unused half the day (the area would remain without animation). This large hall could house a cultural space open to local artists but also capable of hosting international exhibitions (such a hall is currently lacking in our city). Large exhibitions on cinema, in connection with the Cinematheque, could complement the setting. Another possibility is the establishment of a Science House hosting exhibitions accompanied by talks from researchers working in various disciplines.
Sian d’Aqui: What is your position on the future “Grand Stadium”?
Patrick Mottard: Regarding the Grand Stadium, I was the first candidate to publicize my position by proposing to create a sports complex integrated into the city.
The current elected officials, using ongoing tender processes as a pretext, conceal the truth from the people of Nice: the Grand Stadium will not be built in the Var plain under the announced conditions, due to urban planning and financial reasons.
Therefore, I believe that the Grand Stadium should remain at Ray. With my team, we have worked on a project for an urban sports complex (see, for example, the “ARENA” leisure-commercial complex hosting AJAX Amsterdam) to provide OGC Nice with a stadium matching its ambitions. This sports complex will gather numerous services for the people of Nice:
– a 26,000-seat stadium of quality for high-level athletes,
– sports facilities for all people of Nice: tennis (thus compensating for the disappearance of the two courts of the “Tennis Club Méditerranée”), gym…
– direct access to the tramway and a parking lot,
– a commercial and leisure gallery to energize neighborhood life.
Sian d’Aqui: Don’t you think it is legitimate for Nice to become the capital of a region in a new regional division?
Patrick Mottard: There are two possibilities.
The first is to divide the PACA region between two regional capitals and make Nice the capital of a region resulting from a partition: this option is not desirable as a smaller-sized region would have significant difficulties in making its voice heard against larger and more populated regions.
The other possibility is to create transnational regions. The European Union is currently working on establishing these euro-regions: these broader regions match the objectives of cooperation that transcend borders and the peoples of the European Union, which “Nice Autrement” adheres to, as we demonstrated by organizing a day specifically dedicated to the presence of European Union citizens in Nice. Such regions already exist, such as the Pyrenees-Mediterranean region. If such a region were to be created around Nice, it would encompass several major cities (Nice, Marseille, Genoa, Turin…), so that none would enjoy a dominant position over the others, the objective of the euro-regions being to develop cooperation between cities and regional areas rather than shifting centralism from the national level to the regional level. In this context, a re-division of regions is conceivable (indeed, it is already underway), but Nice would not be the capital of such a super-region, since it would be designed not to have one.
Sian d’Aqui: What actions do you contemplate in favor of the teaching of the Niçois language in schools, colleges, high schools, and universities?
Patrick Mottard: Through the “white book” of the National Ministry of Education on regional languages, Niçois is identified as a full-fledged living language. This book proposes a series of measures to develop the use and learning of Niçois. First, it is necessary to ensure that these provisions are properly implemented. Every Niçois child must have received an introduction to Niçois in their primary education. A budget will be dedicated to actions conducted by various participants, including, under the principle of intergenerational solidarity, experienced individuals, particularly retirees, who will interact with students during optional and extracurricular times.
To promote the learning of the Niçois language, we must facilitate the distribution of works written in Niçois. The history of culture shows that budding artists thrive in the cultural heritage, in the expression of popular culture. From Rosalinde Rancher to Francis Gag and now Noëlle Perna, several writers and poets have revived the Niçois language.
And to truly bring the Niçois language to life, I propose carrying out an annual Competition for “new” Niçois words to keep our language popular and current.
Sian d’Aqui: Do you intend to continue or improve the celebration of Niçois festivals?
Patrick Mottard: The celebration of Niçois festivals is part of the attachment to the historical and cultural heritage of the local area, just as much as discovering or rediscovering the episodes and tragedies that have accompanied the city from its creation to today.
Lu mai (lou festin de Nissa), neighborhood balls, the Feasts of the Cougourdes, the Penitents’ processions, the tribute to Catherine Ségurane, or the traditional Carnival have always allowed the population to express their feelings about local rivalries and the power of notables, the struggles for influence, and the living conditions they endured, while also asserting an immense need for conviviality.
However, it is necessary not to reduce these festivals to “folkloric customs.” Therefore, I propose modernizing all these celebrations so that they are more in sync with our current lifestyle. Additionally, I will launch a major call for the “modernization” of these festivals so that they continue and are appropriated by our contemporaries (concerts, artistic creations, etc.).
Sian d’Aqui: What future for the carnival?
Patrick Mottard: The Nice Carnival has not managed to modernize and remain the event. Today, it only has a very limited tourist interest. It has lost its anarchic and revendicative character.
It is necessary to evolve the Carnival so that the people of Nice can reclaim it (as was done for the Venice Carnival).
For this purpose, we must develop a local carnival and a popular carnival:
– neighborhood carnivals,
– an associative carnival with a parade and meeting of all the associations in Nice,
– popular entertainment: concerts, street arts, masked ball,
– a grotesque carnival allowing for the expression of our society’s irony,
– the involvement of a European country in every new edition of the Carnival.
I also propose that the next carnival themes be popular and supportive:
the Restos du Coeur (concert…), Sol en Si (musical comedy)…
Moreover, elements from the carnival floats could be installed around the city as urban art elements (monumental sculptures) starting from the summer following the carnival and contribute to the urban identity of Nice.
The creation of a carnival museum would allow for the preservation and enhancement of its cultural, societal, heritage, and artistic characters. The permanent exhibitions would stage the heritage of the Nice Carnival (history, significance…). The temporary exhibitions would introduce foreign carnivals and reveal particular themes.
Sian d’Aqui: Do you think that the venues for expressing Niçois culture are sufficient or satisfactory?
Patrick Mottard: Niçois culture is too often considered stereotypical or folkloric, which depreciates it. The venues for expressing Niçois culture (Francis Gag, the Pois chiche) are rare and confidential. It is therefore necessary to disseminate Niçois culture through popular venues and not to confine it to specific venues reserved only for that purpose (ghettoization of Niçois culture). The National Theater of Nice should display its creations as Niçois and spread, through an annual festival, the current Niçois creations (type PACA fortnight).
Sian d’Aqui: What means do you plan to implement to promote the creation and dissemination of Niçois culture?
Patrick Mottard: The city of Nice has a contemporary art museum, a national creation space (Villa Arson) but lacks venues for local creation, a role previously played by the “Blue Devils.”
The institutionalization of the SPADA warehouses is not sufficient. It is therefore necessary to create a space for free and open creation.
Niçois literature is very rich but is not supported for its dissemination or publishing.
It is therefore necessary to plan a support program for local publishing. And also, to facilitate access to works in libraries, and to encourage the production of new works in Niçois.
Sian d’Aqui: Can we consider including a component related to Niçois identity in urban planning charters?
Patrick Mottard: I believe so. Niçois culture also involves its architecture. As I have already pointed out during the presentation of my housing program, it is necessary to act through the Local Urban Planning (PLU). On the one hand, by preserving the historic neighborhoods (ports, Old Nice, Musicians’ district…) and, on the other hand, to restore Nice’s creative audacity from the “Belle Epoque,” by developing art in the city with the requirement of three decorative elements (friezes, paintings, design…) in every new Niçois building. We must also develop mural art, especially for dressing the gable walls (regulatory obligation).
The architectural quality is part of a city’s prestige and this prestige is economically essential for a city that derives much of its income from tourism. But, this is not the only reason for defending architectural heritage: a resident’s attachment to their city, to their neighborhood, also depends on the aesthetic appeal of these. That’s why a charter of architecture must be based on rigorous principles regarding the integration of buildings, old and recent, into the urban landscape. However, it should not be a traditionalist manifesto. It is not about trying to mimic the architecture of the past at all costs, but to ensure that each building finds its place within an urban unity (this could be the case of a renovated Gare du Sud) while incorporating HQE standards in constructions and renovations.
Sian d’Aqui: What are your proposals to promote and enhance Niçois identity?
Patrick Mottard: As you may have noticed, I have outlined in each of my responses concrete proposals to strengthen Niçois culture. I have already had the opportunity to do so elsewhere by developing my municipal program.
Here is a brief summary (list not exhaustive):
– Support plan for local publishing,
– Nice as the capital of the sun: sustainable development as an element of Niçois identity,
– Renovated Carnival: carnival museum, carnival floats as urban art, popular carnival, carnival of the world, etc.
– “Nicecitta”: Nice as the city of image and cinema,
– Annual competition for “new” Niçois words,
– “Nuit noire” of Nice as a cultural showcase of the city (December 21 to kick off the winter tourist season),
– Cross-border interregional cooperation,
– Urban sports complex to host OGC Nice,
– Restoring the pilou as the reappropriation of public space in Nice,
– “Modernization” of Niçois festivities,
– Space for free and open creation,
– Niçois architectural audacity and decorative arts.
