In 1989, an international urban economy competition was launched by the municipality of Aix-en-Provence for the redevelopment project of the wasteland located southwest of the Rotonde and the Cours Mirabeau. In June 1990, the choice settled on the project of the Catalan town planner Oriol Bohigas who imagined a place of animation combining habitats, shops, offices, and public spaces while respecting the surrounding urban fabric and architecture of Provençal type. The new district is divided into independent but concordant blocks to ensure the unity and harmony of the whole.