“The identity of our metropolis is intimately tied up in that of the river and canals that cross it. The Garonne is where the city was founded. The Canal du Midi, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, was a formidable technical and human challenge, completed thanks to the vision of its engineer Pierre-Paul Riquet. It symbolises the capacity of civilisation to develop and redefine entire regions.
“The Greater Toulouse council is now embarking on a vast urban development project which aims to give a more concrete form to these historic links, to give more coherence, more ‘fluidity’ between the city and its waterways. The project will give the people of Toulouse the opportunity to reappropriate for themselves this priceless heritage, and to reconsider the way we live and interact with our environment.
“This conference, a worldwide reference regarding canals and inland waterways, is thus perfectly at home in Toulouse. Unique in its format, it appeals to a whole range of interested parties: waterway managers, scientists, professionals of town planning and waterway tourism from throughout the world. These four days, alternating plenary sessions and field visits, will stimulate cooperation and exchange of know-how and experience among specialists but also between different countries, at a time when the importance of inland waterways is now increasingly recognised. Management methods and scenarios, the economics of canal uses and impacts, all the heritage, environmental and economic aspects of our waterways will be presented by specialists and the sessions will allow time for discussions and debate.
“Finally, the Conference will also be an opportunity to visit Toulouse and to discover sites along the Canal des Deux Mers, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.
“Welcome to Toulouse!”