INITIATIVE Thanks to the creation a few years ago of a dry fountain, spotted for its exemplary nature by the French Federation of Things that Walk, Epinay-sur- Seine has found a city center, a place of conviviality “which is self-sufficient”
“Summer is Epinay-plage, the children come with their towels,” exclaims Eugénie Ponthier. — DR
- This Tuesday is launched the French Federation of things that work. It has spotted little or unknown local initiatives throughout France, which have proven their worth and can be duplicated in other cities. Among the six that will be presented in Paris on the stage of the Théâtre de la Madeleine: the dry fountain of Epinay-sur-Seine.
- This “friendly, lively, self-sufficient place” is a success in the urban renewal of the commune of Seine-Saint-Denis.
- And with summers getting hotter and hotter, the fountain in Place René-Clair looks like an island of coolness in the middle of the concrete towers, a solution that could be emulated.
And in the middle flows a… fountain! Welcome to; Epinay-sur-Seine, charming town of 57,000 souls, in the heart of Seine-Saint-Denis… We leave the rest of the pitch to Stéphane Plazza and we spin through the middle of the towers to discover Place René-Clair and its dry fountain. “We say dry but in fact, it’s wet!” urban ecology.
In fact, this denomination is due to; the very architecture of the place: “unlike the Bartholdi fountain on the place des Terreaux near; Lyon for example, ours in; Epinay has no structure. When the water is turned off in winter, it becomes a usable public space, with no visible structure.”
“It’s a friendly, lively place that is self-sufficient »
In Epinay-sur-Seine, Eugénie Ponthier tells the story of this new centrality. of the city: “it’s like in the South, in a village square at side of the Church. Except we’re surrounded by concrete towers.” Before the dry fountain, Place René-Clair was an “anxiogenic space, crossed by by cars.” Today, the market dilapidated has left instead of a media library which, in the summer, come, “install deckchairs near the fountain to enjoy a good book”, poetizes the elected official.
The dry fountain has largely conquered the youngest during the summer. – DR
“Now, with its multiplicity, in use, it’s a friendly, lively, self-sufficient place. No need to create animation, the different populations of Epinay rub shoulders there, meet there and have invested there for moments of relaxation, she adds. In summer, it’s Epinay-plage, the children come with their towel, enjoy the water and the freshness while the parents watch over them from the benches and the shaded areas. ”
“On the cobblestones, the beach”
“In Epinay as in many places in France, a majority of the population doesn’t have a second home and don’t go on vacation at all,” the initiative of the French Federation of things that work, which passed his summer on the roads of France, “ ” look for ”lots of freshness” as well as little-known local initiatives that have proven themselves and can be duplicated elsewhere. How did he know that the dry fountain of Epinay was a nugget? “Intuition already, he slips smiling, because I came during the winter, the fountain was stopped. But Eugénie Ponthier told me to close my eyes and imagine… ” And the magic happened. “On the cobblestones, the beach,” he blurted.
Place René Clair, refurbished a few years ago, with the dry fountain in the centre, seen from above. -DR
Raphaël Ruegger also underlines the particularly beneficial and immediate impact of such an urban renewal: “With the heat that we now know In summer, such an installation is a godsend for the population, to let the little ones wade for free.” He knows that the project can spread elsewhere, that elected officials have already manifested their desire to duplicate this place of life. “Right now, we’re not close to enduring the heat in concrete frames, we’re focused more on energy renovation to in winter,” adds Eugénie Ponthier. But with global warming in constant progression, public policies will have to delve into this thorny issue, which Epinay-sur-Seine could well symbolize.
20 seconds of context
20 Minutes is an editorial partner of the FFTM, in this partnership we highlight initiatives that have won over the editorial staff.