1. Concepts and regulatory context

1.1 Invariant concepts and activities

The design of a project or development requires in-depth consideration of its various functions, the resulting spatial organization, its coherence with an economic development strategy, and the control of its environmental consequences. The project owner must therefore consider the impact of his project on the environment, as well as its technical and financial feasibility. While the sheer number of projects can give rise to an almost infinite number of situations and contexts, the realizations are to be found in a very limited number of sectors.

For example, in the water sector, which is undoubtedly one of the most capital-intensive, activities can be divided into three main areas (figure