The Promenade du Paillon is among the 18 nominated projects selected by the competition’s jury, in the urban parks or gardens category. Yesterday not only marked the first Wednesday at school for children but also the visit of the Promenade du Paillon by the Jury, in the presence of the Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi.
The Victoires du Paysage are organized every two years. It is a national competition organized by Val’hor, an interprofessional organization recognized by the State for the promotion of horticulture and landscape products and professions.
For its fourth edition, the Promenade du Paillon was preselected by the Jury. Composed of Ariane Delilez, landscape architect, Dominique Douard, landscape contractor, and Erik Rouazard, editor of the Horticulture et Paysage magazine. They all come to evaluate the site before the final deliberation on October 2, 2014.
The Promenade du Paillon caught the Jury’s attention thanks to four selection criteria:
The relevance of the project and its adequacy with the objectives,
Innovation in the original quality of the layout and its sustainability modalities,
The consideration of the protection, management, and enhancement of the landscape heritage in a sustainable development logic,
The proximity of supplies: materials and plants
For Ariane Delilez, a member of the Fédération Française du Paysage (FFP), “The Promenade du Paillon is a unique project. It is not one of the types of works we are used to seeing. It brings together several aspects by combining the promenade aspect, the improvement of traffic, attractiveness, the well-being of the population, and the economic revival of surrounding businesses. Generally, to carry out a project of this type, you need a desire, a real political will.”
According to the FFP member, this project is “exemplary because it results from a collaboration between different entrepreneurs: landscape contractors, nurserymen/horticulturists, and the landscape architect, Michel Péna. For us, it is a particular success.”
On this occasion, Christian Estrosi emphasized the importance of the green flow in Nice: “A city without nature is a city without humanity. As a child, when I walked with my parents, I asked myself questions about infrastructure. Regarding the green flow project, I promised myself to dismantle the concrete to make way for greenery. Result: hundreds of thousands of people come here, even high school students come to do their homework here, thanks to the WIFI…”
“The human and plant aspects have been highlighted by this project. Soon, animal species will settle in, not necessarily squirrels, but small animals like those seen in English and American parks. Additionally, the Promenade du Paillon will be extended further north, behind the National Theatre of Nice as well as on the Promenade Des Anglais. In sum, people will be able to enjoy nearly 9 km of greenery within five to six years,” adds the Mayor of Nice.
In his turn, Michel Péna wanted to thank Christian Estrosi: “the future of the city is the landscape. I thank the Mayor for wanting to carry out work going in this direction”.
