Pedestrian alleyways – LANGUEUX (Côtes-d’Armor)

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Completion year 2006
Contracting Authority Municipality of Langueux
Mission Creating pedestrian alleyways
Project Management Team Landscape architects and designers Laure Planchais (mandated agent), Light designers Coup d’Eclat
Surface area 1,600 m²
Budget €90,000 exc. VAT
Ratio €57 exc. VAT per m²
 

The municipality of Langueux was in the middle of major urban changes as a result of its proximity to the city of Saint-Brieuc, gradually going from being a large village to becoming a full-fledged town.
Accordingly, the village centre and especially the main facilities were reorganised, including an extension of the town hall, a restructuring of the post-office and a redeployment of school facilities. The development of pedestrian alleyways was part of a strategy to deliver a genuine town hall square in the mid-term.
Those alleyways promote a safe environment to walk in on a daily basis and they highlight the old village architectural heritage. As highly protected areas, they provide an opportunity to display extremely lush, exotic plants to serve as a counterpoint for the future town hall forecourt and for the renewal of the Langueux high street in a mostly mineral approach. The alleyways amount to a genuine continuous public garden that will be of benefit to the acclimatisation of plant species from the five continents, in keeping with the approach of the treasured botanical gardens found in Brittany.

Feedback (2015)

  • Having gone through a difficult set up caused by poor planting conditions, the vegetation is now abundant.
  • The lack of sufficient tree stratum makes the landscaping somewhat bare in the off-season.
  • The elephant garlic blossoms are too often used as footballs!
  • Local residents are making excellent use of the building vicinities.
  • The bamboos are becoming really invasive.
  • The alleyways were given a name through a competition run by the town hall. The lucky winner was a child who called it the “Venelle aux Chats” (The Cats’ Alleway).