Mélanie Gunyuzu

Is desilting a lever for more sustainable cities? 

The impact of climate change on the quality of life in cities is increased by the growing artificialisation of space and the sealing of soil, leading to an increase in heat islands, vulnerability to flooding and a reduction in food production capacity. At the same time, the «Climate and Resilience» law sets a target of «zero net artificialisation» (ZAN) by 2050. This makes desilting an essential lever for meeting the ZAN law. Using the Saint-Jérôme university campus in Marseilles as a case study, the aim is to monitor the pedogenetic processes that are gradually put in place, leading to the re-functionalisation of desiltrated soil.