Building a local landscape for flood risk management

Our design for a new, resilient park recenters water and sustainability across this nearly 28-hectare local valley landscape. The park also makes space for future changes to surrounding parcels, as the landscape design takes into account potential areas for urban redevelopment. The Rhônelle River Greenway, running continuously alongside the rewilded Rhônelle River, offers multiple winding trails connected to the nearby neighborhoods.

The park features three landscape sections, their distinct environments forming a cohesive whole. The progression echoes that of the surrounding region, flowing from a more urban terrain at the northern end of the park to a more naturalistic and agricultural terrain at the southern end.

The Parc Jacques Brel park, at the northern end, opens onto the city and the Rhônelle River. The numerous entrances in this portion of the park intimately connect the area to the surrounding city, while providing easy access to park facilities. This new public space fans out beneath a lush canopy of trees, all the way to the Water Plaza. The Water Plaza highlights the river, featuring easily accessible terraced stairs that lead down to the water’s edge.

The Rhônelle Meadows stretch between the Parc Jacques Brel and the River Dike. Generous open spaces are built around a smaller branch of the river and a pond, expanding the watercourses. The vast, sunny, and clear Mill Meadow creates an expansive, open landscape. Like the Pioneer Woods, this meadow offers new spaces for recreation.

The Marsh and the Marly Paddocks, located south of the River Dike, form a tapestry of wetlands framed by flexible agricultural plots. These floodplain landscapes vastly improve ecological health. Visitors can discover the area while strolling along raised pathways. Farmland-inspired plots sit on either side of the wetland habitats. Situated above water level, these agricultural plots are divided into paddocks, alternating between areas for mowing, pastures, and orchards. Preserving agricultural elements in this portion of the park lowers upkeep expenses while cultivating diverse ecosystems.

The park’s open landscapes boast sweeping views and long lines of sight. Along the outskirts, woodland edges grow between park and city, designed with visibility in mind. These permeable edges provide glimpses of the park from the surrounding streets, offering a view into the nature beyond while amplifying the vast, open spaces.