Two Excerpts from the Road to Ronchamps
Last September, a group of architects and designers travelled to the pilgrimage chapel Notre-Dame-du-Haut in Ronchamp, France. Like many pilgrimages, unavoidably, some walking was involved. The pilgrims describe some of their pedestrian experiences. The full text will be published online and in hard copy this year.
WALKING IN LYON: NOT ALL WALKING EXPERIENCES ARE PLEASANT, BUT THEY ARE OFTEN UNAVOIDABLE
by CARL BLANCHAER
Lyon is a big city. We navigated our rental car to the old town, only to find that our B&B had no access by car. So after a long travel day, we found ourselves pulling suitcases over cobblestones – no easy task. The B&B was on the third floor of a mediaeval building with a winding staircase that must have been the original, judging by the condition of the stone treads – at least five centuries of foot wear. We dragged our suitcases up all three flights – also not an easy task. One positive outcome of this exercise was that our largest suitcase earned itself a nickname: The Beast.
We enjoyed Lyon immensely and wished that we had had more time to spend there. At one of the main squares, we visited an artisanal market with over 150 vendors. I never imagined that there could be so many artisans making saucisson that all looked the same. Locals were getting their photos taken with celebrity chefs. (This could only be France).
A tour of the upper town, Terreau, revealed some spectacular and really big wall mural art. As we climbed the steep inclines, we passed some of the traditional silk weavers’ shops. For architects, passing by buildings by Tony Garnier, designed during the Art Nouveau period, was magical, bringing back memories of our Cultural History classes at U of M.
CARL BLANCHAER is design Principal at WZMH Architects in Toronto.
THE PROMENADE PLANTÉE: THE ORIGINAL “HIGH LINE”
by JIM MELVIN
The real treat in Paris was our visit to the Promenade Plantée, now referred to as the “Paris High Line.” Built in 1993, a full 16 years before New York’s High Line, this fabulous 4.7 km linear green space occupies the old Vincennes railway line and viaduct, raised about 10 m above the street. The viaduct is a charming piece of architecture, with supporting arches filled with shops and commercial spaces.
The green sward takes on a very French garden character, planted with roses, boxwood, broadleaf evergreens, flowering trees and, of course, the traditional path screenings. The stroll above the city is punctuated with new buildings and urban spaces. The pathway overlooks an active adult outdoor fitness space and melds wonderfully with two existing parks, over a footbridge to Jardin de Reuilly and then continuing to Jardin Charles Péguy.
This is a spectacular linear park and one everyone should put on their to-do list when in Paris: The world’s first elevated park walkway.
JIM MELVIN is a founding Principal of PMA Landscape Architects in Toronto.