The expansion of rescue operations has raised a wide range of archaeological issues in Les Bas. Research on coastal urban planning will be needed to better understand settlement practices on the island, which was still virgin territory in the 17th century.
Settlements
One of the first places settled on Bourbon from 1663, Saint-Paul was organised around “nuclei" settled without a predetermined urban plan. The site of the current town of Saint-Denis was only occupied later and was given an orthonormal plan, like Saint-Pierre. The secondary districts were developed more liberally and anarchically along the Route Royale or around a central point, such as the river, church or a cluster of houses.
Recent archaeological data provide us with information on suburban settlements which do not feature on town planning maps (Quadrilatère Océan in Saint-Denis).
Historic neighbourhoods
Archaeology also records how individual districts developed within towns, from the most sumptuous home to the humblest (including Îlot 3 in Saint-Paul, rue Chatel in Saint-Denis and rue Évariste de Parny in La Possession). The standardisation of îlot or block interiors was noted, and houses occupied a central space with annexes behind, opposite the street entrance. Some businesses were also arranged in a similar way, as revealed by the Maison de Canonville in Saint-Pierre.
