Town planning in Toulouse

The town of Toulouse is organized in various about concentric zones:

the Roman city, characterized by its narrow and tortuous streets, which evolved/moved very little until the Moyen-âge;
the medieval city cut off in its rampart S;
suburbs of the XVIIIe at the 19th century;
recent suburbs, built around urban cores based on close villages;

Formation of the city

The heart of city initially developed around the right bank of the the Garonne, on the level of the Gué of the Bazacle, only means of natural crossing of the river. This bank is also that which is highest compared to the river, thus offering a better protection against its Inondation S. the privileged position of this point of inflection of the river (which comes from the south and share towards the North-West) in contact with the valley of Hers which constitutes a prolongation of natural way of communication towards the sea the Mediterranean in south-east made of Toulouse a commercial crossroads.

To the transportation routes which constitute the natural rivers were added the radial ways built by the man connecting the city to the close markets in all the directions: Roman Way of the Mediterranean in the Pyrenees with Aquitaine, Channel of the South, road links and railway towards north (road of Montauban), towards the south (road of Foix, also called road of Spain) and south-east (road of Low wall), the west (road of Auch), is (roads of Albi, of Castres).

It was necessary to await the Second Empire to see adopting, with the image of the large Parisian openings carried out by the prefect Haussmann an important plan of town planning established by engineer Magués. This last proposed to establish two main street perpendicular crossing to the center of the city. The Municipal council discussed and unfortunately revives of it with the fall the initial width of these axes which was of 25 meters (as in Paris, Lyon, Marseilles) for a less ambitious project of 16 meters, including 4 meters of pavement. These two main street was finally bored between 1871 and 1874 and accepted names of circumstance: street of Alsace-Lorraine and street of Metz. They were entirely finished only at the end of the century, by the release of the Place Esquirol, the junction of the street of Metz with the Pont-Neuf, the widening of the street of Languedoc. In 1908, the street Ozenne came to supplement this unit.

Later, with the growth of the suburbs in south-east and the east, of new broad axes structure the city, and are associated with the realization of three public parks of scale (the Botanical garden, with vocation Botanique, the Royal Garden and the Large Round). The new ways are the alleys Jean Jaurès towards the east, the alleys Paul Sabatier, Paul Feuga and Saint-Michel in the south-east, which open the city towards outside and structure of the new districts with screen in squaring.

The years 1960 to 1970 see the arrival of a big number of new inhabitants. To accommodate them, the project of a new Ville is launched under the influence of the mayor Louis Bazerque who wants to push the economic growth of the city. The district of the Mirail remains the principal emblem. Its ambition is to create a satellite town of 100.000 inhabitants in 23.000 residences on the communal territory of Toulouse, with all the equipment of town of this importance. A territory of 680 hectares is found on left bank of the Garonne and is named ZUP of Mirail by ministerial decree. The plans of this city are created by a team of architect prizes winner in January 1962 of the international Contest launched by the town of Toulouse.

Actual position

The urban spreading out of Toulouse was often described as extreme, with one population density very low for a town of its size (as comparison, Toulouse is twice wider than Lyon for an appreciably equivalent population). Conscious of the potential of the city, the policies wish today the densifier and of many Pharaonic building sites were born. However, this phenomenon attenuated much: the city became a vast building site so much so that one attends a degradation of the quality of life which probably gave to Toulouse the best of their paradoxical health.

The territory of the commune being particularly wide, the average ways are long, which, combined with a policy of road and highway equipment overall, contributed to make displacements in car majority and to disqualify the other means of transport. The construction of many car parks in downtown area in the decade 1980-1990 reinforced this tendency, and the construction of the line has subway did not succeed in reversing it. A project of a great highway skirting is of topicality (public debate from September in December 2007).

Recent expansion

Many projects

Vis-a-vis the surge new residents (between 15.000 and 20.000 inhabitants per annum, currently), the city has faced for a few years with a new phase of construction and thus of work, like a second underground line in service since 2007, ZAC AéroConstellation for the design of the A380 and soon it future ZAC Andromède (3 700 new residences for 10.000 inhabitants), the district Marengo (110 000 m ² of surfaces including 700 residences) and the new media library Jose Cabanis installed in the Arch Marengo, the Zenith (2nd of France by its size), the National theater of Toulouse (TNT), the urban garden of the place occitane with its complete refitting in basement (Saint-Georges shopping mall on 12.000m ²), the restoration of the Natural history museum of natural history, the Sport hall, the technopolis of Labège Innopole. Innopole de Labège was launched in 1990 pennies the form of a Z.A.C. by a group of six communes of the valley of the Hers being next to the scientific whole of Rangueil: Auzeville, Auzielle, Castanet, Escalquens, Labège and Saint-Orens, made up in a trade union with multiple vocation called SICOVAL.

One finds new districts in construction all around Toulouse like Zac Borderouge (3500 residences for 10 to 12000 inhabitants), the ZAC Cartoucherie (2750 residences), the district Moulis-Cross bénite (2600 residences in progress), the ZAC Montaudran in the north of Aérospace Campus (1500 residences), in Colomiers the ZAC of Ramassiers (1450 residences, 60.000m ² of offices, a hotel 4 stars), the ZAC Gramont in project (275 000 m2 of surfaces of offices, trade, services and 130.000m ² adding up 1100 residences), the ZFU Bordelongue (60 000 m2 of surfaces of offices and activities), ZAC EDF Sébastopol (80 000 m2 of surfaces of offices and 450 residences), the ZAC Niel (550 residences), the ZAC the Job-Garonne (650 residences) or the ZAC of the Twin Bridges on 8 hectares adding up 130.000m ² (offices, trade, school, services and 1300 residences).

Without counting the perimeters of studies in progress concerning what will be surely the future ZAC of the Twin Bridges 2 (being next to the ZAC of the bridges Jumeaux 1), also the contest of study in the course of the perimeter of 57 hectares theMarengoone relating to the project of the access to the multimode pole, of requalification urban and constitution of a pole of urban centrality associated for the impact of the arrival of the TGV on this sector of the stations about 2016.

A contest of urban development is also launched for the future ZAC Aérospace Campus. On a total of 40 hectares there, one will find the greatest concentration European in aeronautical and space research. By breaking up this ZAC, 12 hectares will be dedicated to the history of the aeronautical site of Montaudran under the topic of a museum of the air, 7 hectares named Pôle Saint-Exupéry will concentrate 87.000m ² offices, sits of the pole of competitiveness spaces aeronautical and systems embarked, an international center of conferences, the head office of the future European system of localization per satellite Galileo, a city of the students, on 11 hectares one will find 65.000m ² concentrating ONERA, as well as a “innopole” to lodge the future companies which will come to seek outlets for trade, research centres, 9 hectares additional will concentrate in 2nd additional section approximately 50.000m ².

In construction also the future cancéropôle on 300.000 m ² of surface (future site of the fight anti-cancer to European dimension) on the old site of factory AZF or one will find a new hospital on 60.000m ², of the research laboratories public and private, 50.000m ² of administrative tertiary pole, hotel.

The problem of the expansion of the city

Today, the agglomeration of Toulouse poses problems of management of transport (highway saturation at the rush hours), from its weak density and its extent. Indeed, according to INSEE (1999), the urban surface extends on approximately 40 kilometers from north in the south (from Saint-Jory to Low wall) and on 30 kilometers of is in west, of Léguevin with Castelmaurou.

Seven years after the census of 1999, with probably 100/120 000 additional inhabitants (concerning the agglomeration), it is probable that the perish-urbanization still gained ground on the surrounding countryside, especially that topography enough punt of the Toulouse basin hardly presents obstacles to the urban growth. However, for a few years, various organizations of town planning which manage the agglomeration and the urban surface have included/understood the problem well.

One of the characteristics of the urban policy of Toulouse was, at one period (as in many French cities during the years of the thirty glorious ones) to turn the back on its history, thus, one finds:

the Administrative city and FAC of social sciences in full historical perimeter
the Victor-Hugo carparks and of the Carmelite friars (this last having known a refitting, these last years)
the hyper specialization of the zones of habitat and activity involving the generalization of the allotments and urban spreading out

However Toulouse succeeded in safeguarding its old Roman arenas in extremis, to escape from a highway in the Canal from the South and bank roads which would have deeply to modify the town planning of the downtown area. One can even see that today, of many frontages are plastered and that they find their colors pink/orange/rougeoyant, their natural bricks. It is advisable to see that today, of many decisions encounter a lack of political consensus which is not without delaying the projects undertaken.

It is true that, Toulouse, agglomeration millionaire, that will be bearable only if the development is controlled and planned. They is all there the objective of the diagram of territorial coherence and all the regret of some vis-a-vis not renewed PDU (Plane of urban displacements) for the years to come, for lack of financing.

In 2008, the hypothetical vote of the four SCOT ((diagram of territorial coherence)) urban surface, joined together in a diagram of territorial coordination even more total, called Inter-Scot, should make it possible to confirm a still recent policy of brake to the multiplication of the private housing estates. This urban form very applicant of space prevents very come from public transport, the such subway, TCSP (public transport in exclusive right of way) or the tram because economic profitability is too weak, leaving like only recourse the car.

The city thus became a true French metropolis which does not cease growing démographiquement and economically, in full change in terms of infrastructures, residences and industries (European capital of aeronautics and space industries), but also in full industrial diversification with the future cancéropôle, Aérospace Campus and a future city of the researchers announced recently.

Characteristics of the Toulouse habitat

The small Toulouse ones

An element characteristic of the habitat, formerly reserved to the market-gardeners in edge of city, is represented by small the “Toulouse ones”: maisonnettes with garden, without stage nor under ground, but equipped with a galetas and comprising a very definite structure. They disappear however gradually from the downtown area to the profit of buildings of residences, under the real pressure, but especially by the fact that the density represents today the only means of mitigating the extension disproportionate of the city. Compound with a policy in favor of the public transport, the density could solve partly the problems of displacements of the city while respecting the recommendations raised by the concept of Sustainable development.

An important suburban habitat

Force is to note that today, the Toulouse agglomeration extremely extended in periphery with a model, the house with garden and swimming pool. This model condemns the families of these districts suburban to use the car, because they are too far away from the lines of public transport fast (subway type, TESP, bus regular and reliable) which can follow only serving courses of the districts with a minimum of density, because of an economic profitability necessary to the maintenance of these lines.

The Toulouse brick

History

The Toulouse brick goes back to the Roman epoch when the Romans install the city close to the the Garonne. They build a city which quickly will become prosperous. Not finding on the spot stone of size, the Romans use the Glaise which they find in abundance in the area to build the common dwellings and buildings. The needs being important brickyards are built. The city counted some up to 33 which each one had its clean Estampille on each produced brick.

The tiles are also an important component for the cover of the roofs. They are tiles says channel because it has a curve which becomes a standard in the Mediterranean basin: 50 centimetres of length for the normal tiles and 80 centimetres for those located on the fact of the roof. The walls are built out of brick intercalated with Galet S resulting from the banks of the the Garonne. With the Middle Ages, the brick is gradually abandoned in the traditional dwellings and decorate only the monuments and house of Masters. The walls of the dwellings are built out of frame filled with ground mingled with Paille. But, this technique has its limits because the downtown area of Toulouse is frequently devastated by the flames of the 13th century at the 15th century. The Capitoul S make the decision then to prohibit the filling of ground and straw and imposes brick in the future construction industries. But its use remains weak because it remains a rather expensive material. Its use spreads at the 16th century thanks to the money commercial of the Pastel, then brick constructions become majority at the 17th century in the city.

Thus, the brick is omnipresent in the construction industry Toulouse and the stone is reserved for the facings of the doors and the windows and in embellishment of the frontages as for the Hôtel of Assézat. For one long period as from the 18th century, the brick was camouflaged by white paint as for the Capitole. At the 19th century, this paint is replaced by an application of clay low in iron oxide conferring a yellowish color on the buildings to which it was applied. The brick is used also as reasons for decoration especially thanks to Auguste Virebent in 1830 when he invents a system of press to mechanize the manufacture of bricks.

The rural populations use also the brick which they intercalate with rollers carted by the the Garonne. This style is characteristic of the area and the houses known as Toulouse . Then gradually, the brick reappears and is not hidden any more like formerly. The architect Urbain Vitry constructs many brick buildings like the Slaughter-houses, the Halle with the Grains, the Prison Saint-Michel or the Egyptian temple of the Cimetière of Ground-Cabade. At the 20th century, the city endeavors to renovate its brick frontages and to rebuild by using brick or at least a plating. Thus of new project of town planning use brick like the Médiathèque José-Cabanis, the law courts, the Théâtre of City TNT or the hotel of area.

Characteristics

The Toulouse brick consists of alluvial Argile. It is resulting from a marl under-Pyrenean basin. After cooking, clay solidifies and acquires its coloring orange red thanks to salts of Fer and Manganèse.

Other Toulouse materials

The Galet is another material very much used in Toulouse in the construction industries. It comes from the gravel pits of the the Garonne and is used since Antiquity. It was used a long time to arm the mortar with the foundations, to assemble low walls and frontages (alternate with brick) of the houses and to pave the pavements or the courses of the private mansions.

A nobler and rarer material was often used in the Toulouse construction industries: the Saint-Happy Marble of . It was extracted from the mines of the the Pyrenees.

References

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