He is a child of Nice, even the Old Nice specifically. Philippe Raimondi plays a significant role in the digital life of the city of Nice through his website www.nice-hypercentre.org. Now residing in Germany for a few years, he never misses an opportunity to return to his homeland whenever he can, and he always keeps a keen eye on the city of Nice that shaped him and which he holds dear to his heart.
Nice Première spoke to Philippe about his downtown area, who provided insights on the current state of this district located in the heart of Nice’s 7th sector.
A district neglected over the last 30 years in favor of the hillsides, stifled by exhaust gases and traffic jams, and whose streets are dirtied by the incivility of some and the lack of strictness of others. Nice Hypercentre aims to show that this period is over and it is time to return to live and work there.
So, Philippe…
Nice Première: So Philippe, what is the downtown area?
Philippe Raimondi: That’s the thousand franc question. Everyone may have their concept of downtown which broadly refers to sector 7, the heart of the city. Built on the other side of the Paillon River extending towards Garibaldi from Old Nice. My view – more personal, perhaps narrower but I stand by it – is that downtown is the part of Nice’s heart stretching from Place Masséna, along avenue Jean Medecin and Malaussena up to Liberation/Place De Gaulle. This includes all perpendicular streets between Gambetta and Lepante around what is sometimes called the “Nice Champs Elysées”. This downtown area was often forgotten over the last 25 years in favor of the coastal strip with our magnificent Promenade des Anglais, the Old Town that I love so much, as well as its hills and surroundings. It can be said that it was left to develop on its own without major projects, thus significant disparities arose. To the south, the “golden square” around Masséna Street has developed, which is very dynamic with its restaurants and around more luxurious shops, Liberty Street, and Alphonse Karr Street. Further north, the Liberation/Malaussena district, which is more popular and Nissart, is experiencing, despite controversies, a true revival. Between these two areas mentioned, other districts suffer or grow poorer. The people of Nice and the workforce have gradually abandoned this center because the apartments were not always renovated, due to a lack of resident parking, tired as they were of congested traffic and rather polluted air, where insecurity was all too prevalent. Yet, there are old buildings and often marvels from the Belle Epoque architecture. In Nice, we sometimes forget, in our daily stress, to look up and admire its facades: the Musicians Quarter is a fine example but not the only one. The PLU discussion allows these points to be centered in the city planning debate of Nice and its downtown area.
