Interview
Isabelle Soares, head of the Banks of the Saône master plan tells us more…
In what way is this an original project?
This walkway is punctuated by some twenty works of art by associated artists. Developed in consultation with the designers from the very beginning of the project, these works of art are perfectly in keeping with the city's history and landscapes, and first and foremost, they are places people can stop to admire the Saône. The guiding artist Tadashi Kawamata devised 6 of the works of art that make up this straight route, creating raw wood cabins and belvederes.
What different landscapes can be admired along the way?
This promenade in Lyon is a great way to see the city, and in particular the façades of houses in Vieux-Lyon from the peaceful setting of the banks. It then follows the lower part with Quai Gillet, than a more pastoral route with lots of plants, prior to crossing Caluire-et-Cuire which takes one close to the mysterious Île Barbe, where the banks widen all the way to Fontaine-sur-Saône then Rochetaillée-sur-Saône, with its wide beaches where casual open-air restaurants are held.
Can you tell us about the other developments along the banks of the Saône?
The Confluence sequence (included in stage 1 of the Rives de Saône master plan) is already underway. Furthermore, the 2nd stage of the Rives de Saône plan has begun with the project devoted to the terraces on the Presqu’île: this has consisted in the construction of a new underground car park beneath Quai Saint-Antoine, to replace the existing Saint-Antoine car park. Once demolished, this older car park has free a huge 35-metre-wide strip of land in the lower port which is beeing turned into a river garden.
