ABSTRACT
The Place Royale set the standard for the expansion of the city. Along with the Quayside, three grand ‘cours’ (what Haussmann would later call boulevards) linked a series of urban set-pieces around the old town, creating a setting for a period of development that was remarkable in terms of its quality and coherence. The scale of the buildings and the uniform use of the city’s honey-coloured limestone as well as a number of high-quality spaces with lavish fountains and statues combined to make Bordeaux the most beautiful city of the age. Although the sixth largest city in France, Bordeaux is second only to Paris in its number of protected buildings, with outstanding examples such as the Grand Theatre, the Cathedrale Saint-André and the Hotel de Ville. From the Second World War onwards, however, there was a steady and sustained loss of population – 35% from the historic city and innercity districts during this period. The rush to leave the city had reached epidemic proportions by the time Juppe took over office. The plan that he developed sought to get people to return to the historic core to
spend time and socialise, and eventually hopefully to live. Traffic was removed from some streets and squares, opening up opportunities for street life to return. Spaces like Place du Parlement and Place de la Victoire were transformed from traffic roundabouts into lively squares resounding to the chatter and bustle of people sitting at the tables fanning around the cafes and restaurants lining the perimeter of the space throughout the day and evening. A major programme of restoration and cleaning was introduced to tackle the condition of the historic building stock, which included generous grants to property owners in key locations. Revealing the beauty of the buildings under their layers of soot
did more than anything else to symbolise the rebirth of the city. The Quay project sought to re-establish the connection between the city centre and the river, removing the low concrete warehouses that lined the water’s edge to create a high-quality public space/park as a setting for the quayside buildings. The centrepiece is the Miroir d’Eau, a mirror pool fountain that has inspired many imitators across the world. In Bordeaux, this sits on top of a cavernous underground car park. These initiatives have brought about a change in the relationship between residents and their city. A greater sense of pride has meant that previously neglected and unloved public spaces are now well used and cared for. Finding a solution to the city’s congestion was a vital part of these plans. This is often a difficult balance – too much stick and not enough carrot – but, as the car park under the mirror pool suggests, Bordeaux has tamed and hidden its traffic rather than banned it. It has also provided an alternative to the car in the form of a sleek, modern tram network. Opened in 2003, at a cost of €690 million, the tram
was nothing if not ambitious – building 44 kilometres of track from scratch. However, it rode on the optimism of the time and has been a major success story, providing a viable alternative to the car (journeys that used to take an hour by car now take a fraction of the time), tackling inclusiveness and accessibility and acting as a catalyst for regeneration. Recognising its impact on the architectural heritage of the city and the need to minimise clutter, the tram employs a ‘third rail’ avoiding the need for overhead power lines. The system is a work in progress, a fourth line is planned and each of the tram’s three initial lines has seen an incremental programme of extensions
into neighbourhoods across the city. This transformation has taken 20 years and has been so complete that the city of the 1980s is thankfully now a distant, slightly indistinct memory. Surely the city always glowed warmly in the evening sun, enticing visitors and locals to the tables lining its squares to sip a grande crème or tuck into steak tartare washed down with a carafe of something from just a few short miles up the road? Watching this scene it is easy to reflect on how Bordeaux is managing to reconnect with the spirit of centuries past, once more appreciating the importance of identity, Gabriel, Louis XV’s architect, would have approved.
