Page 9 - ME_132_web

‘‘Ten times the size of the Louvre Museum, This approach has freed up space above the land remains legally under French or
three times the size of the National Mall in ground for gardens and green spaces, which Italian sovereignty. An example is the Monte-
Washington DC, a third of an average Paris now account for almost 20% of the territory. Carlo Country Club, home of the famous
arrondissement, or just a quarter of the The underbelly of the Principality also houses Rolex Masters tennis tournament, located in
gardens of the Château de Versailles...’’ That’s key infrastructures including the mail sorting Roquebrune.
what the Principality of Monaco represents, centre, technical facilities and event venues Finally, the latest trend..... A plan to renaturalise
as legal expert Delphine Lanzara* aptly sums such as the Grimaldi Forum. the city is included in the National Biodiversity
up. The second smallest country in the world Strategy for 2030. ‘‘As Monaco is the most
after the Vatican, the Principality is also the Gaining land from the sea densely populated coastal city in the world,
most densely populated. And its 2 km² surface Faced with the impossibility of extending climate change will exert additional pressure
area means that this micro-State has to meet its country’s frontiers, Monaco found an on local populations and biodiversity. It is
unique urban planning challenges, combining innovative solution: conquering the sea. Since therefore necessary to prepare a resilient
infrastructure needs comparable to those of the 1960s, the Principality has undertaken a city for tomorrow by integrating the services
a medium-sized metropolis and an average number of land reclamation projects, notably provided by nature’, explains the Department of
square metre costing more than 50,000 euros... in the Fontvieille and Larvotto districts. In all, the Environment. As part of this plan, a target
almost 60 hectares have been reclaimed from of rewilding at least 20% of road surfaces has
Monte-Carlo: constant renewal the Mediterranean, representing around 20% been set for 2030, ‘i.e. a gain of more than 13
The Principality is often associated with Monte of Monaco’s total land area. These extensions hectares areas favourable to biodiversity’’.
Carlo, especially its casino and luxury hotels. provide space for new housing, infrastructure An additional 2,400 trees are to be planted
Originally, the Spélugues plateau - named, and leisure facilities. The latest example of between now and 2030, while ‘‘the development
in Monegasque language, after the caves it this ‘peaceful conquest’ is Mareterra with 6 of green infrastructure on buildings, such as
sheltered - was a wild, arid land with olive additional hectares located between Larvotto intensive roofs and modular green walls, will
and carob trees, a handful of fruit trees and a and Spélugues. be encouraged to “make the city greener”.’’
few vines. In 1866, Charles III gave his name In the future, Monaco will continually need
to a new town built around the casino and Rebuilding the city on the city to innovate. Some architects, such as
the Hôtel de Paris. Hotels, restaurants, cafés Another key strategy is to rebuild the city on Édouard Albert, famous for the University
and apartment blocks all sprang up, and the top of itself. Monaco is demolishing existing of Jussieu, have envisaged artificial islands
church of Saint-Charles was opened in 1883. buildings to replace them with more modern, off the coast of Monaco. The idea of floating
A red and gold Italian-style theatre in the style functional structures. This process of urban cities has recently re-emerged with Vincent
of the Second Empire, the Salle Garnier is a renewal can be seen in landmark projects such Callebaud’s utopian ‘‘Lilypad’’. The Franco-
miniature replica of the Paris Opéra House, as the reconstruction of the Princess Grace Belgian architect conceived this “Eco polis”,
which the eponymous French architect had Hospital and the One Monte-Carlo complex. capable of housing up to 50,000 people as
just built. The iron beams he used to form the This method enables to meet growing demand a sustainable response to both the rise in
framework, were designed by Gustave Eiffel, while optimising limited space. Due to the climate refugees and the over-urbanisation
father of the famous Tower and the interior scarcity of available land, the Principality of coastal areas. And what if these were
structure of the Statue of Liberty. At the time has acquired land in neighbouring French Monaco’s future pieds-à-mer?
Monaco symbolised renewal and modernity. communes to build housing for civil servants,
Just as today, One Monte-Carlo and the new sports facilities and storage areas, although *Le problème foncier à Monaco, in the magazine La Revue
foncière July/August 2017.
casino square symbolise the same, as does as
the project for high-rise buildings that would
stand on fifteen-metre stilts, conceived by
the Department of Forward Planning as part
of a review of the Spélugues plateau...Aware
of the geographical limits of available space,
the Principality has implemented several
strategies over the years to increase the density
of its territory. Vertical urbanisation, which
began in the 1960s, radically transformed
Monaco’s landscape. The first 20- to 36-storey
skyscrapers gave Monaco an appearance
similar to that of major cities, with high-rise © NMNM / Mauro Magliani & Barbara Piovan
buildings such as the famous Tour Odéon,
which rises to 170 metres and boasts one of the
most expensive flats in the world. At the same
time, Monaco has developed underground city
planning, with the construction of tunnels, car Le Palais des Beaux-Arts, c. 1900
Ce bâtiment inauguré en 1893 laissera la place à l’International Sporting Club (Sporting d’Hiver)
parks and buried logistics infrastructures. Photo : NMNM / Mauro Magliani & Barbara Piovan

11