Des espaces publics aux espaces paysagers de la ville durable

Abstract

The notion of landscape is more and more valued in urban projects in France as in the United States, and seems together with green spaces to contribute to a new idea of sustainable urbanism. The analysis of the urban policies led in suburbs of New York and Paris show a green city ideal, capable of changing the image of poor urban territory. Thus, natural spaces appear to develop in substitution of peripheral urban spaces considered unable to create placemaking and public space. This condemnation of peripheral urban spaces by landscape designers and cityplanners stands then in contradiction with the perceptions and spatial investment of the residents. Moreover, this “landscape urbanism” seems to express an ideal of “green city”, through the development of collective /public natural spaces, with the capacity of bringing by itself urbanity, in a sense of citizenship (political life), citadinity (urban life) and civility (social life). The Social practices are more and more individual and the spatial investment more and more diverse. Meanwhile, the citizens’ perception and the meanings attributed to the urban environment become more heterogeneous. Then, how do reconsider the composition of the landscapes language capable of transforming the people’s relation to their environment? How do reconcile the designed spaces with perceived, lived and imagined spaces by inhabitants? How do built landscapes and green spaces able to think an other urban life and urbanity of public spaces?

Keywords

• Landscape
• nature
• public space
• ambiance
• sustainable city