Heard of the Chemin du Cap Janet? This path in Marseille tells a silent story. It connects the Chemin de la Madrague-Ville to the Chemin du Littoral. The Chemin du Cap Janet is more than just a road.
This street descends steeply. It begins near the Calade vocational high school on Chemin de la Madrague-Ville. The Chemin du Cap Janet winds through small housing developments. It skirts the Cap-Janet HLM residence to the south. Finally, it ends at Chemin du Littoral. Here, you’ll find the fourth gate to the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille. A pedestrian bridge crosses the A55 highway. This provides access.
The Chemin du Cap Janet stretches 715 meters. It is eight meters wide. The name “Cap-Janet” comes from the nearby Cap Janet. This cape also lends its name to the Cap-Janet public housing.
Classified as part of Marseille’s roadways, the Chemin du Cap Janet carries layers of history.
At number 70, find the social housing unit for the 15th and 16th arrondissements. It belongs to LOGIREM.
Let’s dive deeper into the area’s past. The Cap Janet site overlooks the coastline. This made it strategically important. In 1942, the German army set up its headquarters here. It was right above a submarine base. American bombings targeted it in 1944. Le Corbusier even considered building his Radiant City here.
Before modern development, this area faced challenges. A large shantytown housed 2,000 people. Shantytowns were common in Mediterranean port cities. Abbé Pierre intervened in 1954. Eugène Claudius-Petit worked to address this recurring issue.
In 1951, the issue of French Muslim workers from Algeria arose. 140,000 workers arrived in France annually. Claudius-Petit, aware of their housing conditions, created Sonacotra in 1956. This organization aimed to build 50,000 homes in five years. These “homes-hotels” faced segregation and the Algerian conflict.
In 1958, the Social Action Fund for Muslim Workers from Algeria was created. It was funded by family allowances. Its priority was to rescue Algerian workers from shantytown misery.
In 1960, Logirep, Logirel, and Logirem were created. Logirem served Marseille. Their purpose was to build housing for families. The 1962 cease-fire and the OAS response led to a mass departure of French Algerians. One million people passed through Marseille. Sonacotra homes were requisitioned for repatriates.
The Debré Law was passed in 1964. It was the first law to address shantytowns. The Cap Janet operation, led by Logirem, took place within this context. Six years later, the Vivien Law expanded the focus to include unsanitary housing. Shantytowns faded from media attention until recently.
Before becoming a real estate project, this involved social and educational efforts. Residents were carefully selected. Construction permits included notes detailing the two-stage shantytown clearance. The first stage involved rehousing residents in temporary housing. This confronted them with modern living challenges. Their adaptation was monitored. This helped determine their suitability for public housing. The ATOM oversaw this first stage. It enabled the demolition of spontaneous housing. This cleared the land for construction.
Early unbuilt projects aimed to avoid isolating the development. One project combined the three towers with a “village.” This village would house families struggling to adapt to the 16-story towers.
The construction permit also included a shopping center. This center wasn’t built until later. It was located outside the project’s grounds. Social facilities were planned for the first two levels of the towers.
Architecture wasn’t the central focus. However, the three towers effectively claimed the site. They created a highly visible landmark. The towers framed the space and its changing perceptions. Critic C. Jencks described it as a city in the sky, compared to a solitary skyscraper.
The towers underwent renovation. The coloring weakened their monolithic character. Variations in color were poorly suited to the architecture’s simplicity.
Henri Marty and Marcel Roux were the architects. Marcel Roux, an architect and urban planner, worked with Eugène Claudius-Petit throughout his career.