What needs to be done for a so-called “sensitive” neighborhood to (re)become “normal”? The answer is simple: the necessary conditions must be put in place for this to happen.
This is the goal of the urban renewal project for Les Moulins, one of the so-called “sensitive” neighborhoods in Nice.
The recipe? Simple, too: create a pleasant environment for a better quality of life, sustainably improve comfort and living conditions for all residents.
Then, action must follow words…
Located at the heart of the Eco-Valley territory, near major developments (Nice Méridia, Grand Arénas, MIN, multimodal station, future tram…), the Les Moulins neighborhood acts as a “hinge” between central Nice and the Var valley.
This neighborhood has about 8,000 inhabitants and nearly 3,000 social housing units and is characterized by significant isolation, major building degradation, and one of the weakest economic and social situations in the PACA region.
Before 2010, this neighborhood had not seen any significant public intervention since its construction. It is now undergoing an urban renewal project (more than 215 million euros invested by local authorities, the national agency ANRU, and social landlords) with the goal of de-isolating the neighborhood, requalifying public spaces, diversifying and improving housing, developing services and amenities, and revitalizing commerce.
This urban renewal will be completed over seven years (scheduled to end in 2017) with the Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur leading the project.
The inauguration of the first section of Martin Luther King Avenue connects boulevard Paul Montel to rue des Mahonias. Ultimately, Martin Luther King Avenue will join boulevard du Mercantour and will be the main traffic axis of the neighborhood.
The requalification of Place des Amaryllis helps improve the image of this major part of neighborhood life.
In terms of security, surveillance and verbalization cameras will be installed to provide technical and psychological support against the scourge of crime.
In the future, the proximity of the Nice Méridia technopole and the Grand Arénas business center (including the European-scale Convention Center); the 40-meter road that will improve access from the western neighborhoods of the Var Plain (Iscles du Var, St. Isidore…) and the passage of tram line 2 should further create the conditions for Les Moulins to become a neighborhood where life is good.
