Local development

First of all, it is worth recalling the particularly strategic geographical location occupied by the Eco-distrcit. Thus, the future district is located at the intersection between the road connecting the airport to the agglomeration of Remire-Montjoly; the only road leading to the only industrial port in the Guyana region and the area is the first activity zone in French Guiana. Thus, the supply of housing placed next to such a pool of jobs seems particularly relevant.

Then, the EcoQuartier intends to support the local economic dynamism through 3 axes of action:

• The Eco-district, a structuring project for the construction economy in French Guiana. The construction sector is the third largest employer in French Guiana (after the civil service and trade) with more than 13% of establishments in Guyana. Thus, while it is estimated that the public works tenders in 2009 amounted to 430 million euros, the EcoQuartier project would result in an order of 40M € of public works spread over 10 years and not less € 180 million in housing construction. There is no doubt that such a volume of order has a significant impact on the private sector in Guyana.
• The Eco-district, promoter of local sectors. Since an district is a development project aimed at integrating sustainable development objectives and reducing its ecological footprint, it is a question of limiting energy and raw materials consumptions, of using local resources, of healthy, natural materials or recycled. Following the results of the analysis of the main contractor and the support of various consular bodies (including the CCIG) the future district will highlight the local sectors: wood, lateritic materials. While the construction market is dynamic, local resources are not highlighted, the project of Ecoquartier aims to promote the increased use of local materials, both in the public space and in architecture, in particularly wood and laterite. This initiative will not only have an economic impact of sector support but will also promote local productions and thereby improve the visibility of these sectors of activity (territorial marketing).
• The Eco-district, a project supporting the corporate real estate market. While the Guyanese market is marked by a shortage of quality business real estate, the EcoQuartier offers no less than 20,000 m² of shops, activities, services including a business area at the entrance of the neighborhood, and this in a strategic area for the development of the private sector.

Functional diversity

The Eco-district was based on a principle of urban programming (in contrast with a residential development that meets only housing needs) integrating the widest possible range of programs of public and private facilities, services and businesses necessary for life. a neighborhood of habitat and activities:

Beyond the 3 school groups meeting the needs of the neighborhood and neighborhoods, the project integrates:

• Commercial DRCs (convenience stores) or for economic activities and services
• 2 'urban stacks', buildings strategically located (place of intensity) and can regroup social and cultural facilities (association hall, concert hall / rehearsal, ...)
• Existing sports equipment and valued in the project (advanced base, local and national scope)
• An existing high school valued in the project
• Tourism-related activities (hotels) related to the history of the place, and activities related to the port of Degrad des Cannes (regional scale)

The 'run-of-the-river' urban development observed in Guyana has, until too often, been a response to housing needs in relation to population growth. The urban programming approach of the EcoQuartier introduces missing urban functions to neighboring neighborhoods, and will constitute a new centrality of the city through these facilities.

% of office area

% of commercial area

Circular economy

• The Eco-district, a social district In order to support the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE), EPAG has decided to impose integration measures in the Business Consultation File for work related to the district. In addition, the neighborhood provides for the implementation of social projects, such as the implementation of a bar association in phase 3 ...
• The Eco-district, a sustainable neighborhood The efforts of the EcoQuartier to support local sectors with a "sustainable" character have been and will continue to be important. Thus, as specified in concept 1, the EcoQuartier project wishes to support local sectors, particularly the production of local materials in the construction process. In addition to imposing the use of wood in dwellings, EPAG wishes to use the site's materials to reactivate the lateritic brick production sector. In addition, the structuring and exemplary character of the EcoQuartier has led to the active support of the development of the biomass sector (an industry being structured) on urban clearing projects. Thus, the realization of the district should be accompanied by a valorisation of the green waste thanks to the biomass sector (knowing that energy represents a major stake for Guyana which knows a strong demographic growth and a selling price of the electricity twice as high as the cost price.

Finally, it is not impossible that, in the long term, the district project will be accompanied by a reactivation of polders for local agriculture.

Mobility strategy

All primary roads in the Eco-District will be meshed with the public transit network. Seven bus stops will be located in the district and within 150 m of the apartments. These bus stops will be accessible to people with reduced mobility. A project led by the CACL will connect the Eco-district to the city centre by means of Public Transport on a Clean Site. This should be completed before the completion of the BIA. It will promote multi-modality. Although at the beginning of the project, there was no urban transport line or service project on Rémire-Montjoly, the challenge of making the city compact and accessible pushed the designers to integrate enough bus stops to serve the entire area of the district. As there were no interlocutors to deal with the issue, it was decided not to provide for rights-of-way dedicated to a TCSP for financial reasons. However, since the acquisition of transport competence as a result of the transition to an urban community, the CACL has developed a project for two bus lines with a high level of service consistent with current and future land use planning projects. Thus, although the eco-neighbourhood does not have a dedicated public transport infrastructure, it is located in direct proximity to one of the multimodal exchange hubs that will be created in phase 3 of the BRT project in direct connection with the roundabout entrance to the neighbourhood.

Soft modes are favoured, with the creation of a large right-of-way for cycles and pedestrians to move along the main artery of the district, separated from the roadway by a high-quality landscaped area. Secondary roads, which do not support transit traffic, are built as shared roads whose layout promotes the coexistence of soft modes with vehicle traffic, reducing gauges and promoting the driver's sense of insecurity. The purpose of public space is to reverse the balance of power between the soft mode user and the motorist, thereby creating safety conditions through increased attention and reduced speed.

The neighbourhood layout encourages active modes of travel (pedestrians, bicycles, skates, etc.) within the neighbourhood and to adjacent neighbourhoods. Indeed, the emphasis has been placed on the development of soft practices and comfort of use at the district level in a general context where the car remains dominant and'occupies most of the space' with few spaces dedicated to soft modes.

• A large place for soft links in the projected public space mesh
• Particular care for the comfort of use of public spaces: "walking in the shade with feet dry".

The implementation of this network dedicated to soft mobility could be extended/continued in the neighbouring districts subject to safe crossing at RD 23 (installation of fire crossroads) and urban treatment of these axes at least at these crossroads. A soft link accompanying the North-South canal, the founding and structuring axis of the overall project (competition), could later be implemented. This development would strengthen the neighbourhood's relationship with the city.

In addition, the public transport offer, mobility services and information systems promote alternative use of the private car by different means (routes, frequency, time slots, connections, inter-modality, waiting times, etc.)

• Opening up the rue du Lycée on the Matourienne + rue des Coteaux for a TC route through the district
• 7 stations planned positioned at the level of school facilities and central areas in the districts
• No dwellings more than 150 m from a CT
• TCSP stop in the vicinity
• Information on the locations of services within the eco-neighbourhood as part of the welcome booklet.

Le projet d'écoquartier permet de créer un parcours de voie primaire liant le quartier à une voie primaire de déplacement vers une commune limitrophe et les autres quartiers de la ville de Rémire-montjoly, promouvant de ce fait le désenclavement du secteur et leur offrant la capacité d'être desservis par les bus. Le parcours de transports en commun emprunterait ainsi la rue du Lycée et la ru des côteaux pour pouvoir lier les quartier du bourg de Rémire. Au sein du quartier 7 stations de bus sont prévues, positionnées au niveau des équipements scolaires et des espaces de centralité des quartiers. Ainsi les attracteurs principaux de déplacement sont irrigués directement par le transport collectif. Ainsi l'ensemble des logements est placé à une distance inférieure à 150 mètres d'un arrêt de bus. Le positionnement de ces stations permet aussi de rendre accessible le quartier par les PMR. En effet le respect du relief par l'aménagement a pour conséquence de ne pas disposer des pentes réglementaires pour l'accessibilité des PMR. L'écoquartier a été conçu de sorte à aménager des zones distinctes et significatives en respect des réglementations accessibilité en vigueur et de les rendre accessibles entre elles par le réseau de transports en commun. Tous les logements disposent d'une station de bus accessible aux PMR. Un des pôles d'échanges des lignes de bus à haut niveau de service devrait se situer à proximité du quartier, en lien direct avec le rond-point Adélaïde Tablon, une des portes d'entrée du quartier. 

Smart City strategy

EPAG has approached the operator of a public service delegation for the deployment of the fiber optic backbone linking Suriname to Brazil. Part of this ridge is already laid on the island of Cayenne, the EPAG will connect on this primary network to serve the entire Eco-district fiber. The Eco-district will be able to receive both the copper and fiber optic network in FttH for housing and offices, shops, two boxes of connections are provided for all transferable lots. Specific reservations will also be provided for the CCTV network.

In addition, cultural equipment is programmed in phase 1 of the EcoQuartier. This one aims in particular to favor the free access to the Internet at the very top or very high speed.

Water management

The problem of AEP in Guyana is a major issue. Awareness of the importance of the protection of this resource is borne by the Community of Agglomeration Center Coast (CACL).

Moreover, the climatic and geological conditions of Guyana are specific and do not allow infiltration. Rainwater transport is planned by means of wadding which allows a reduction of the pollution hydrocarbons and suspended matter, as well as a slowing down of the flow. A collective network of wastewater collection has been planned because of the desired density of the neighborhood.

The noues, path of the water, are devices qualifying public spaces of the district. No plot retention has been planned given the specific climatic conditions in Guyana. Water retention is planned in public spaces valued as green spaces open to all. Their emptying times were calculated to limit mosquito nesting.

Soil management 

In the 2009 competition, the bias was to preserve the 80% of the natural environment of high environmental quality (in particular excavated creek). This bias has established a limit to urban development, and has preserved a natural environment that contributes to the stormwater management of the area. In addition, the project involves the treatment of pollution and the reduction of runoff velocities through valleys and the development of the floodable forest in the retention basin.

Waste management

The good sorting and collection practices presented in the charter of the Center Coastal Agglomeration Community (CACL) have been taken into account for the development of collection infrastructures in public spaces.

The altimetric layout of the project was guided by the objective of balancing cuttings and embankments at the project scale. In addition, the project plans to use materials extracted from the site in concrete pavements of sidewalks. Finally, all deforestation waste will be used for energy production and timber production.

All non-recoverable deforestation waste in timber will be used for energy production (biomass power station).

The good sorting and collection practices presented in the CACL charter have been taken into account for the development of collection infrastructures in public spaces.

Biodiversity and natural areas

A flora fauna inventory was carried out as part of the district's application for authorization under the Water Act. The protected species likely to be impacted by the project were saved by transplanting into natural areas. At the pre-creation stage of the district in 2009, the project's focus was on preserving the remarkable biotope of the excavated creek. Finally, the management of rainwater through the valleys allows the development of a biotope specific to the district.

The rain-fed management of stormwater is the blue and green frame of the project. In addition, the maintenance of the green spaces of the excavated creek and associated park constitute areas of high environmental quality integrated with the urban development of the district. .

The development of the blue and green grid in public spaces associated with open-space residential areas will allow the maintenance and development of biodiversity in the project.

De-foresting and edge reinforcement as the project develops enable the maintenance and renewal of a natural area favorable to the development of a balanced biotope. On the other hand, the project owner has planned to have a follow-up of the ecological issues of the site in the works phase by a specialized design office.

The designer has planned green cover species in the green spaces that do not require regular mowing. In addition, the choice of species for landscaping treatment focused on species that do not require regular chemical treatments or watering after rooting.

Climate adaptation, resources conservation, GHG emissions

Prescriptions and architectural choices for the climatic comfort of the dwellings have been included in the batch recommendation books.

It is conceivable, in addition to the common law actions launched in the territory aimed at protecting the environment and controlling energy, in addition to the explanatory requirements provided for in the welcome booklet, to carry out actions to raise awareness of first inhabitants and the population of the island of Cayenne about lifestyles in bioclimatic housing and modes of management and functioning of the eco-district (role of the valleys for example)