A city of sculptural shapes, set out with a grand vision. And optimism for a better future.
At its centre, a reminder of lives lost, during the war which raised Le Havre to ruins.
The memorial is set beside a still pool, spanned by a slender bridge. Which arcs, like a rainbow of hope, above its surface.
Guggenheimeresque walkways spiral from pedestrian underpasses to street level.
Carrying the eye toward a skyline, which juxtaposes manmade curves and rightangles, with a garnish of organic tree canopies.
Contemplative spaces dot this gridiron city, varying in style and target audience. The sunlit pool, at its centre; shaded groves, further out; and, on the seafront, a sprawling skateboard park with spectator area.
Scan and ride scooters and cycles pervade the pavements.
The roads are populated by an unusually high percentage of EV's. Even the taxi's are electrically propelled.
As are the trams. Silent, save for the chime of their warning bells.
Le Havre is a city that is recognisably French in style: with its pavement cafes, wide tree lined boulevards and sense of panache. Even if its substance is not that of the typical French town: either in terms of architecture or transportation choices. Exactly as intended by its creator, Auguste Perret.
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