120 km, is the distance covered by the navigable canal waterways which were created at the beginning of the 19th century to supply Paris with non-drinking water.
These canals (Saint-Martin in Paris, Ourcq to the east and Saint-Denis to the north), and particularly the Canal de l'Ourcq which flows through Seine-Saint-Denis from east to west across to La Villette in Paris, are today the object of urban, economic and landscaping reflection which aims to diversify their uses (freight, leisure activities, water resources), enable their adjacent towns to be open to the undertaking and develop the canals' unifying rôle as public spaces.
In 2001 the City of Paris, owner and manager of the canals, instigated reflection on these issues in liaison with the local authorities involved. Together they commissioned Apur to undertake a certain number of studies intended to fuel these exchanges.
