Integrating Plants and Trees in the Design of Urban Parks in Marseille

The objectives of this study are to give an overview of how landscape architects and designers integrate plants, shrubs, and trees in the design of urban parks in the city of Marseille. A survey was carried out using interviews that covered the major factors explaining the choice, structuring, and combination of plants over space in regard to the creation and management planning of the site. An analysis of those factors will then help the landscape designer in the choice of creation of sample groups. Social uses, plant management, and availability of plants in nurseries and expected landscape types are the major criteria for a better distribution of plants selected for the landscape project. This paper also emphasizes on the professional skills and expertise in plant science and more precisely the know-how influenced by the rhetorics of both scientific and political environmentalists.