Jardin de la cité descartes

EPA Marne commissioned Wagon Landscaping to carry out a frugal landscape intervention on Parcelle Y, a land reserve initially intended for development by 2025, a project that was ultimately abandoned. The site occupies a strategic position between Université Paris-Est and École des Ponts ParisTech, yet despite this immediate proximity it remained largely unused. Originally designed as a closed and defensive space to prevent informal occupation, the parcel was surrounded by ditches and dense hedges, shaped by earthworks and maintained through intensive mechanical management. This configuration produced a smooth, monotonous and unwelcoming landscape, offering no real use for students. EPA Marne therefore sought a project capable of activating the site and opening it to new, temporary uses.

The proposal is based on a light, garden-based and constructive approach, aiming to reconnect the two campuses by making the site accessible, permeable and open to appropriation. Building on the existing vegetation, the intervention relies on rapid, economical and low-maintenance actions.

Starting from a conceptual sketch, Wagon Landscaping carried out a three-week on-site intervention that profoundly transformed the spirit of the place. Openings were created in the hedges, crossings were installed over the ditches, and terraces and benches were placed at strategic points. Low-maintenance gravel gardens, ornamental plantings and fruit trees define areas for rest and gathering.

Site management evolved towards a differentiated maintenance strategy, replacing systematic mowing with a combination of natural meadows and mown pathways. The hedges were reshaped to mark entrances and to allow spontaneous trees to develop, gradually fostering a more open, diverse and living landscape. Initially conceived as a short-term project, the intervention has now lasted for more than ten years, and it has been formally acknowledged that this space will remain a garden within the future urban development.ge plus ouvert, diversifié et vivant. Ce projet initialement prévu pour quelques années à perdurer plus de 10 ans et il est acté que cet espace rester un jardin dans le projet urbain.