Reconstruction of the riverbanks is on the syllabus for IMACOF students

During the first part of this field-trip, students stopped in Orleans where they were able to gain practice in reading the landscape with Philippe Auclerc from the magazine, Loire et terroirs, by comparing the present day docks with old prints. Bearing in mind the aim of restoring continuity with the town itself, they were thus able to observe the results of an ambitious reconstruction of the docks that has been carried out in Orleans: the stone used for the docks, terraced gardens and architecture, the restrictions imposed on the routes dedicated to road traffic.
A meeting at the Centre for Nature and the Environment was the venue for a study of the position of a nature reserve in an outlying suburban zone.

The second part of the field-trip took place in the Paris region. Assistance with its organisation had been provided by the office of Denis BAUPIN, deputy to the Mayor of Paris responsible for transport, traffic, parking and highways. It provided an opportunity to find out about the action carried out by Voies navigables de France (Navigable Routes in France) and the Port autonome de Paris (Independent Port of Paris), responsible for management of the Seine docks within the capital. The visit continued at PC Lutèce (the Paris traffic monitoring centre), which manages road traffic in real time and carries out forecasting work on traffic movements in the city. A particularly interesting presentation explained the impact of actions already carried out in relation to roads along riverbanks: speed reduction to 50 kilometres an hour, closure on Sundays or during Paris Plage. It also made it possible to understand the issues raised in relation to transport by the reconstruction.
Other visits provided opportunities to find out about actions taken to promote ancient or industrial heritage (respectively, the Medici Aqueduct and the former Meunier chocolate factory on the Canal Saint-Martin).
The stay ended on the subject of river navigation with a visit to the Museum of Boat-building at Conflans Sainte Honorine.

This field study made it possible for students to gain a grasp of the issues connected to reconstruction of riverbanks in urban and outlying suburban zones both in relation to promotion of heritage and in terms of transport and movement or tourism and leisure pursuits.

Further details from:
IMACOF (Engineering in Aquatic Environments and River Corridors)