In this very grey, very mineral perspective, we see them from afar.
The fluorescent orange diggers and bulldozers landed in the middle of the Place de Catalunya, right next to the Montparnasse station (XIV).
Farewell to the "du Creuset-du-Temps" fountain which had been enthroned, flat but leaning, since 1985 right in the middle!
The city destroyed cobblestone by cobblestone the work of art, signed by the Polish sculptor Shamaï Haber, to the great displeasure of the artist's family.
The work was at a standstill, the water had not flowed for almost ten years.
According to Marie-Claire Carrère-Gée, elected (LR) of the 14th century, the place of Catalonia, a roundabout which serves in a star shape the boulevard Pasteur, the avenue du Commandant Mouchotte, the streets Jean-Zay and du Château, is "all gray , impersonal, deprived of water, vast, useless and of an immense sadness”.
The roundabout, bordered on the west side by large buildings designed by Ricardo Bofill, “Stalinist” for some, “Greco-classical” for others, is beginning its transformation.
And not least...
14th century Catalonia Square
After the destruction of the fountain, which should last until next August, the city will move up a gear.
The site will tackle the road network, cycle paths, creating restricted traffic areas, wide sidewalks, planting, installing planters, etc.
In the process, the small segment of rue du Château, on the square side, will become pedestrian.
Delivery is scheduled for the first half of 2024. Finally and above all, by 2030, the Plaza de Catalunya will have a totally different face.
In its center, there will be what is called an "urban forest", that is to say ten young trees and forty shrubs of different heights, which will be planted on an area of 100 m2.
Read alsoPlanting urban forests: "We lack perspective on these micro-forests"
This Thursday, local residents, seated on the benches, took advantage of the spring rays of the sun, and contemplated, placid, the square, its piles of cobblestones and its diggers.
"With the work, we're going to drool for many months," analyzes this resident whose windows of the apartment, avenue du Commandant-Mouchotte, overlook the square.
We already have the construction site for the Gaîté shopping center and the train station.
But when it's over, it'll be great.
This will do some greenery good.
“His neighbor, an octogenarian, a bit ironic, tempers his enthusiasm: “Yes, finally, for the trees, you will have to be patient and… me alive!
»
The city has included this renovation project in the global climate plan, with the roadmap of combating global warming, rethinking and reducing car traffic.
In episodes of heat wave, the place of Catalonia (XIV), all mineral, without the shade of a tree, is burning.
Future revegetation should make it possible to cool it, capture carbon, purify the air and create biodiversity.
