Cours Napoléon is the main road link between the eastern and western part of Ajaccio. For the City, this site has symbolic value in several ways. In addition to the opportunity to modernize and beautify the main commercial artery of the city center and improve the living environment of its inhabitants, its renovation is part of the national system "Action Cœur de Ville", a tool in favor of the revitalization and attractiveness of the city center.
“This project saw the light of day thanks to a request for funding from the City of Ajaccio to the former General Council of Corse-du-Sud. This approach is part of a broader reflection, around the problem of the interconnection of neighborhoods, the reorganization that we want around mobility in the city center as part of the Urban Displacement Plan, the study of the commercial and cultural offer or even the question of parking… This project is one of the key stages in repositioning the Ajaccian hyper-center ” explains Stéphane Sbraggia, first deputy in charge of the urban project and the revitalization of trade and crafts.
This site is the subject of a planning permission with the assent of the architect of the Bâtiment de France (ABF).
The nerve center of Ajaccio, the course extends over a distance of 875 linear meters from Place Abbatucci to the Diamant crossroads. The sector had not benefited from requalification work for nearly forty years. Over time, it has accumulated constraints in terms of traffic and parking and problems of aging networks.
The various studies and field diagnoses have led the City to position itself on "a renewal of the existing in terms of coating, public lighting and furniture, but also a better adaptability of the project vis-à-vis its uses future ”underlines the General Directorate of Technical Services.
Among them, the creation of a bus voice dedicated to reduced-gauge public transport vehicles and cyclists
5 remarkable sectors identified
The improvements include the adaptation of traffic lanes, the redevelopment of sidewalks, a major greening plan (trees, planters, etc.) as well as the change of street furniture and the modernization of public lighting.
Five areas will benefit from special treatment because of the heritage interest that has been noted. Thus, many crossing platforms will be built, with the aim of improving pedestrian safety.
Consultation and adaptability of work
From the diagnostic phase, the main planning principles were carried out in consultation with all the players involved, elected officials, directors, associations of traders, residents, etc. The first phase of this major project was completed during the winter 2019/2020, with the rehabilitation of the Saint-Roch Church. The project included in particular its lighting and restoration of its facade, the renewal of the covering of its square and the creation of a crossing and raised pedestrian platform. This sector foreshadows the entire program once it is completed. To blend in perfectly with the heritage setting of the neighborhood, preference was given to beige granite paving, as well as new LED public lighting with floral decorations and "retro" inspiration, and urban furniture in stone or in Corten steel.
The second phase of the operation concerns the forecourt of the Prefecture and initially focuses on the recovery of the underground rainwater network.
It will continue in the Lantivy sector and the remarkable area
Beverini / avenue Pascal Paoli. The work schedule, handled by sector, is subject to regular cyclical adjustments, with the aim of limiting conflicts of use and the impact on the commercial fabric which is already particularly battered.
The municipality plans to put in place various tools to promote consultation with course users, such as the creation of a local commission and the drafting of a furniture and landscape charter. “The acceptability of the project is one of the keys to its success. The consultation tools are there to help users, the population and the citizen more broadly to appropriate it and to visualize the city of tomorrow from a new angle. It is also an opportunity to rethink the uses of the public domain with traders ”continues the elected official.
A "more vegetal" course
If the development plan provides for preserving as much as possible the current landscape integration, the City strongly wishes to strengthen the presence of plants on this main artery.
The place of the tree is at the heart of today's environmental policies and the urban space is intended to evolve in this direction. The requalification of the Cours Napoléon will therefore also concern the plant aspect. In total, nearly 20% more trees are planned on the Cours Napoléon, noblesse oblige. The services are finalizing specifications that will make it possible to choose, taking into account the perceived constraints of use and their adaptation to climate change, the species to be planted, either in addition to existing trees, or to replace those which, due to of their state of health, cannot be preserved.
Also, the words of traders and residents will be taken into account in order to define what will constitute their new living environment.
Apart from so-called “alignment” trees, areas dedicated to plants are also envisaged where public space allows, thus participating in the densification of plant tissue and contributing to the absorption of heat islands and the improvement of air quality.