Combes Park  --

The Vallon du Laval Park project in Antibes is part of a contemporary reflection on dwelling and living together. Conceived as a true “central park” at the scale of the surrounding neighborhoods, it forms a structuring link in the municipality’s green network and a driver for supporting future urban transformations, particularly along its southern edge.

Currently landlocked, the site regains openness through the development of its northern and southern edges and the affirmation of a broad green corridor. The project also addresses a major challenge: managing flood events in the valley. Widening the riverbed and creating flood expansion areas help limit flooding while restoring the site’s natural character. This new hydraulic framework, 30 to 40 meters wide, shapes a “traversed valley,” a true reservoir of biodiversity.

The park is organized into terraced sequences that take advantage of the steep slopes, with platforms supported by stone structures reminiscent of Mediterranean terraces (restanques). The program combines urban uses (playgrounds, relaxation areas, sports, picnicking) with climate resilience, featuring a plant palette adapted to drought conditions and a differentiated management approach that limits irrigation.

Three gateways connect the park to the urban fabric, while a central lower terrace, at the interface between the wooded park and the valley, becomes the heart of the project. The whole forms an inhabited, ecological, and unifying park, reconciling urban life, landscape, and adaptation to climate change.