A Master Plan for the canals

The Master Plan for the canals, developed in the context of a collaboration between the City of Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis, Est Esemble, Plaine Commune and Grand Paris Grand Est, aims to establish a shared vision for the Ourq and Saint-Denis canals. This work is part of a renewed governance approach and is based on three phases: diagnosis, the strategic guidelines for each canal and a summary of the common guidelines. The online publication of the diagnostic phase, compares previous plans with framework documents and local projects, while sharing the essential elements for understanding canals of the future.

The diagnosis is organised in three parts:

The diversification and co-existence of uses, mobility and accessibility, the conservation of landscapes and heritage. Historically dedicated to transporting merchandise, canals today serve a multiplicity of uses: walking, leisure activities, sports, culture, waterway navigation and tourism. This diversity requires that the co-existence of uses be taken into consideration and that strategies be developed which maintain river activities, integrate working ports into the urban fabric and promote the synergy between economic, tourist, cultural and recreational activities. The goal is to transform the canals into a dynamic, living space, reconciling industrial heritage and contemporary aspirations for an inclusive and welcoming city.

The development of sustainable mobility on and around the canals is a key issue. It is a question of reinforcing river-based activities (regular and tourist passenger transport, freight transportation) by ensuring modal shifts that limit the use of lorries and by developing leisure stops and the possibility of having urban events on the water and the banks of the canals. The continuity of pedestrian and bicycle paths should be ensured to guaranty safety and comfort. Recent and future crossing points also reinforce links between neighbourhoods and territories.

Finally, the canals represent an architectural, landscape and ecological heritage which should be protected and enhanced. Their identity has evolved profoundly. From a dominantly industrial and infrastructural landscape, they have become a natural, living environment, rooted in the daily lives of city dwellers. This demands particular attention being paid to biodiversity, water management, social interaction and cultural expression. The promotion of the constructed and intangible heritage, via inventories and media tools, could be strengthened by rethinking the mediums of communication and the possible use of certain buildings (lock houses, small scale heritage sites, etc.).

This first phase of the Master Plan aims to transform the canals into a vibrant heritage landscape, that meets the urban and environmental challenges by integrating the issues of shared space, new carbon-free modes of transport, economic development and ecological continuity. It recommends a common foundation for collaborative development, so that the Ourq and Saint-Denis Canals continue to play a central role in the sustainable development of Grand Paris Metropolis. In an appendix this assessment presents the detailed plans and sections of the existing state and recent and future projects.

The second phase, focusing on the specific guidelines for each canal, is in the process of being drawn up and will be published, complete with a summary note, by the end of 2025.