Promoting the experience of nature in the city through citizen participation

Bibliographical resource

2024

Agence nationale de la cohésion des territoires (ANCT)

To mark the launch of the Fabrique Prospective on ‘Nature in priority neighbourhoods: what levers for the ecological transition, employment, social cohesion and territorial cohesion?’, Veille & Territoires is offering a selection of literature co-developed with Elodie Bourgeois, head of foresight and innovation at ANCT.

Municipal participatory greening programmes are on the increase in towns and cities. They enable residents to green public spaces, through shared gardens or street operations (gardening at the foot of trees, pits in pavements, growing boxes, etc.). The aim of this thesis is to study these schemes in three different French urban contexts: Lille, Lyon and the thirteenth arrondissement of Paris. A mixed method combining quantitative and qualitative surveys is used. hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-03482731/document

The development of nature in the city is a response to the need to adapt territories to climate change. It also responds to a growing demand from citizens, who are increasingly aware of the benefits it brings them: beautification of the living environment, urban agriculture, recreational areas conducive to biodiversity, etc. Since 2018, reclaiming nature in the urban environment has been part of the Biodiversity Plan. However, there is still some reluctance (loss of land, invasive species, etc.), as well as a lack of knowledge about urban biodiversity. However, the long-term survival of these natural spaces depends largely on their acceptance and appropriation by the public. publications.cerema.fr/webdcdc/les-essentiels/nature-en-ville/datas/pdf/nature_en_ville.pdf

At a time when we are reflecting on what a post-Covid society might look like, in connection with the necessary ecological transition, the question of consultation between citizens and political decision-makers arises more than ever. However, in the current climate of mistrust, how can we envisage effective citizen democracy? www.cairn.info/revue-futuribles-2021-6-page-33.htm

In light of the ecological crisis and the crisis of representative democracy, a number of projects identified in this document are experimenting with successful forms of committed democracy, including among the working classes. More than ever, reality shows that public policies alone cannot meet the immense challenge of transforming our lifestyles. irev.fr/sites/default/files/atoms/files/guide_mobilisation-citoyenne-transition_vprint_stc.pdf

Since the early 2000s, residents’ greening initiatives (shared gardens and street operations) have grown considerably in Lyon, with the support of the city council. This article looks at where they are located in the city in relation to pre-existing socio-economic inequalities. By highlighting the concentration of initiatives in neighbourhoods with an average or even affluent standard of living, the authors highlight the emergence of environmental inequalities in the city. The administrative procedures that govern these initiatives, imposed by the local council, can act as a social filter. It is only through the involvement of intermediary associations that low-income groups can become involved in shared gardens. On the other hand, street operations are still concentrated in neighbourhoods with a privileged socio-economic profile. journals.openedition.org/developpementdurable/18012

The aim of this opinion and its 18 recommendations is to help all citizens, whether they are children, young people, adults or senior citizens, to develop into ‘responsible eco-citizens’, i.e. those who inform themselves, educate and/or train themselves and act responsibly throughout their lives in favour of sustainable development. These 18 recommendations, based on current experience and the high level of concern about environmental issues, aim to strengthen the conditions for raising awareness and getting people involved. www.lecese.fr/travaux-publies/favoriser-lengagement-civique-et-la-participation-citoyenne-au-service-du-developpement-durable

Parc des Beaumonts, in the commune of Montreuil on the outskirts of Paris, is part of the Natura 2000 site of the Seine-Saint-Denis department. The park has been the focus of an educational initiative aimed at getting first-year geography students at the University of Paris 1 to assess the naturalness of seven landscapes in the park in a participatory way, using five indicators. The students then evaluated the teaching approach. Analysis of the results shows that the students have a very good independent capacity for evaluating landscapes. The variance of the results was analysed. It shows that the more complex the landscapes, the less homogeneous the evaluation results using the indicators, which reflects a degree of uncertainty in the knowledge acquired. Finally, the feedback from the exercise shows that over 80% of the students feel that they have learned more using this participatory approach than with a traditional academic course. www.cairn.info/revue-l-information-geographique-2019-1-page-61.htm

In the environmental education (EE) and early childhood sectors, there is undoubtedly a consensus in favour of more nature in the city and frequent contact between children and nature. But are they shared by all? In towns where ecological management of green spaces has been introduced, studies show that the social acceptability of wild nature is not self-evident. Often supported by well-defined socio-cultural groups, the promotion of nature in the city can meet with resistance. So that the development of environmental education activities does not generate a new form of social segregation, it is important to consider the best paths to take to aim for an inclusive society around and through nature. orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/237097/1/L_ErE_en_milieu_populaire_questionne_les_limites_d_un_plaidoyer_pour_davantage_de_nature_sauvage_en_ville.pdf

Caught up in the issues of sustainable development, the fight against climate change, and planning for the well-being of residents, some cities today are ideal places for the redevelopment of nature. The Lyon area, which is particularly committed to these issues, is supported by a wide range of citizen initiatives that are bringing nature back to the heart of the city, through composting and community gardening. This article presents the results of a study into these initiatives and the way in which they are having an impact on urban areas, thanks to nature. This fieldwork provides an opportunity to qualify the notion of environmental capital, and in particular the way in which it is produced in this area. journals.openedition.org/vertigo/19018

Many civil society initiatives are inventing the paths to an ecological and social transition on a daily basis in the territories. By experimenting with new ways of living and using local resources, these projects can strengthen our society’s resilience. Better understanding and recognition of this capacity for innovation, better support for these successful initiatives and, in some cases, help in scaling them up are all key issues for public action. In 2016, at the request of the Commissariat général au développement durable, researchers and local players combined their analyses and experiences. This publication retraces their work. It combines theoretical analysis of the transition and accounts of public action taken in support of local initiatives. www.ecologie.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/publications/Th%C3%A9ma%20-%20L%27action%20citoyenne_0.pdf

The shared garden appeared in France at the end of the 1990s and has been described as the new trendy green space that reflects an attachment to the environment as well as a desire for leisure, conviviality and citizen involvement in the management of urban spaces. Initiated by local residents, shared gardens have grown considerably in the Paris region, with the support of local authorities. Because these gardens respond to both global and local issues relating to the environment, society and food production, they are an ideal tool for analysing how people ‘make’ and ‘live’ the contemporary city. The aim of this article is to examine shared gardens as areas of environmental transition, in that they help to improve the environment and its ecological components. Based on a study of 48 shared gardens in the Paris metropolitan area, the analysis of the discourse and practices of users and political players highlights the role of shared gardens as areas for improving the living environment and raising awareness of environmentally friendly practices that promote urban biodiversity. halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-02148029

At a time when the crisis is no longer just economic, but also social and environmental, well-being and living well in the city are becoming a key issue, both for individuals and for public action. For some years now, the solution seems to lie in nature and biodiversity, which are capable of acting against pollution and depression, for example. Local institutions, like citizens, are putting in place a range of ecosystem services, mainly cultural, by reintroducing nature, in various forms, into the city. Based on a precise and established definition of these ecosystem services, the following discussion aims to highlight the diversity of ecosystem services put in place by citizens, while also examining their impacts in all their diversity. The authors also analyse the representations inherent in these services, as well as the points of divergence with local institutions, to see whether these services are part of a co-production process in the Lyon area. journals.openedition.org/eue/1590

This document brings together feedback from seven French projects, in Lyon, Villeurbanne, Montpellier, Strasbourg and Saint-Ouen, and illustrates the benefits of involving citizens in projects to integrate nature into the city. It also offers a number of lessons learned from these initiatives. Contents: www.cerema.fr/fr/centre-ressources/boutique/implication-citoyenne-nature-ville-premiers-enseignements?v=7014

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