The National Interest Operation of the Plaine du Var was, from the beginning, hindered by administrative objections and criticisms from environmental associations that have continuously condemned the cementing of the area: from Eco-Valley to Cement Valley.
In fact, beyond the easy caricature, the transformation of this vast region could only proceed with its transformation alongside an ambitious master plan that would create an extension of the city to the west.
This was achieved, contrary to what detractors might claim, with the adoption of demanding environmental standards, defined by an adhesion charter signed by the public and private partners involved in the construction.
According to Christian Tordo, president of the EPA managing the operation, “the ambition of the Eco-Valley is to propose another model of development and urbanism, combining economy and ecology.” For him, this approach “is a matter of collective responsibility and is part of a logic of defending the territory.”
Today, after five years of implementation, Christian Tordo takes a first assessment and lets the numbers speak:
- 84 projects distributed across the entire Eco-Valley, from Nice to Saint-Martin-du-Var, from Saint-Laurent to Saint-Blaise…
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34 signatory partners (BNP Paribas Real Estate, Bouygues Real Estate, Eiffage, Habitat 06, Logirem, Pitch Promotion Vinci …)
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635,000 m² of floor area involved
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85,000 m² of preserved land that would have been developed without the existence of Eco-Valley Quality
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45% of green areas for each operation, totaling 16 hectares of green spaces created
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40% of potable water saved on average per operation
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14,000 MWh saved each year (equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 3000 households)
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83% of construction waste recycled—three years ahead of the European framework directive setting a recycling objective of 70% by 2020
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Three times the national average of wood volume used in constructions
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85 months of work for individuals in difficulty …
His conclusion? This approach establishes the conditions necessary to drive stakeholders in development and construction towards the desired level of ambition for the Eco-Valley.
Is this enough to address the concerns of those who see construction as a threat to the environment (“more concrete, less green”) and silence the critics?
