Images: Philip Kistner

“To date neither those responsible for the construction project, nor the Monegasque foundations, nor even Prince Albert II himself have commented on the possible ecological consequences”

Doesn’t the Mareterra project conflict with climate protection and sustainability efforts, particularly those of Prince Albert II and his foundation?

There are definitely some conflicts. After all, the project involves land reclamation across the Mediterranean Sea – so those responsible are interfering significantly with the habitat of animals and plants. It is true that a marine biologist and his team have been commissioned to relocate all marine animals and plants – including three protected species – to pristine locations in the Mediterranean. However, according to an interview with ZEIT, the marine biologist will not be able to judge whether they will survive this involuntary move for several years.

On the other hand, the concrete pylons on which the six-hectare urban district develops have a rough surface, so hopefully marine animals and plants will soon settle there again. In addition, different marine biologists and environmentalists will oversee each phase of construction to maintain environmental standards, according to the project website. Two parks with a total of 800 trees are probably planned: La Pinède and La Vallée. They are located in the middle of the new urban district. Throughout the district, 9,000 square meters of solar panels and 200 charging stations for electric cars are to be installed.

Half of the rainwater is to be reused. A 600 cubic meter pond is available for this purpose. Based on the planned measures, one can thus definitely recognize the sustainable signature of the Monegasque prince. What I find alarming, like most critics of the project, is that to date neither those responsible for the construction project, nor the Monegasque foundations, nor even Prince Albert II himself have commented on the possible ecological consequences. The corresponding environmental impact assessment cannot be viewed.

In Monaco, there is the so-called “Extended Monaco” program, which intends to promote technological progress in the city and also the subject of sustainability in the principality. What measures can you see this taking? 

In terms of sustainability, the program is primarily about digitalization, connectivity and mobility. Here, the self-driving, electric shuttle bus for up to 15 passengers in summer 2019 stood out. With the pilot project, Monaco tested a possible future scenario for mobility.  The technological progress shows among other things, at the 33 smart bus stops that went into operation during 2019. Not only do 32-inch touchscreens run 10-second commercials, but they also offer real-time arrival and departure times, as well as interactive city information and news.

The bus stops offer Smartphones charging stations and built-in free Wi-Fi hotspots. They will also have sensors to measure something like air quality and forward it to the appropriate authority. The other projects in the program are not recognizable from the cityscape. They mainly relate to the expansion of infrastructure and educational opportunities for children: for example, since 2019, children have been learning to program in elementary school.

Back in the 1970s, about 30 hectares of land were reclaimed from the sea and the Fontvieille district was built. After protests, the Larvotto reserve in the east of the principality was expanded as “compensation” back then. Are there similar efforts for the new project? 

In fact, land has been extracted from the Mediterranean Sea in Monaco since 1880. The principality has been enlarged in this way five times so far, by a total of more than 40 hectares. Mareterra is thus already the sixth project for new land reclamation by means of marine construction and expands the territory by another six hectares. This means that new land reclamation created more than 20 percent of the territory. So far, there have been no public protests against the project in Monaco. Perhaps this is because the entire new district is designed as an Eco District, is quite lushly greened, and Larvotto Beach was redesigned by Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Or it could be because Prince Albert II involves himself in many (other) environmental protection efforts. Not even Greenpeace or the French Fondation Nature et Environment (FNE) have commented on the project yet.

Images: Philip Kistner

“Monaco is a prime example of economic scarcity of supply.”

Over what period of time did you take your pictures? And were you already able to recognize changes or conspicuous features? 

I was there for the project a total of three times for one week each time. All in all, I was able to follow the process of change in the city for a little more than a year. What was striking was the constant construction activity lurking around every corner – barriers, scaffolding and construction cranes reaching into the sky. Hardly anything emphasizes urban change more strongly. So it is foreseeable that many places in the Principality will be unrecognizable in a few years. For example, compared to the last time I was there, the view of the sea has already been obstructed: Just off the coast of the Monte-Carlo and Larvotto districts, after all, the new Mareterra neighborhood is being built.

Will you be returning in the near future, for example to capture the latest developments in the city-state? 

Absolutely! Since I invested in a high-end drone at the beginning of the year, entirely new perspectives are now possible, which I was unfortunately unable to realize for my first illustrated book. Even though drone photography would be a big challenge due to the busy helicopter traffic, the new perspectives already excite me a lot.

Here you can find the project “MONACO – Die Verdichtung” by Philip Kistner.

Here you can find another photography project by Jérémie Dur conserved Paris.