Bois Sauvage neighbourhoodÉvry-Courcouronnes (91)

The Bois Sauvage (“wild wood”) lives up to its name. The neighbourhood is part of a series of woods and parks across Évry-Courcouronnes: the nearby Parc des Loges, the Bois du Petit Bourg, the Parc Henri Fabre, all the way to the banks of the Seine. The urban renewal project extends this landscape to the foot of the buildings and reinterprets the park-city idea inherited from the new town.

A woodland language links the neighbourhood to the Parc des Loges and the surrounding woods: a plateau forest of oaks, hornbeams, field maples and wild service trees, and a wet forest of alders, birches and willows. A large rain garden, echoing the Écoute-s’il-pleut stream that gives its name to the neighbouring boulevard, weaves links between the east and west of the neighbourhood. Rainwater is collected in the open and soaks into swales and planted areas.

The Émile Roux square opens onto the street and welcomes a large play structure for children. A linear micro-park brings together informal play among large rocks, a sports area and shared gardens accessible to all. Rue Camille Guérin becomes a new planted and calm north-south route; allée Jacques Monod, a shared and intimate lane. These places grew out of participatory workshops with residents: seating around the play areas, planted strips kept at the foot of the façades, and the multi-sports court kept close to its current location.