Charter for the vegetation of public spaces - Marseille

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Since October 2015, the City of Marseille (France) has implemented a "Charter for the vegetation of public spaces in Marseille". Individuals who sign the charter are allowed to install plants in public spaces while respecting the safety and use of the tracks by other users. The public-community agreement goes hand in hand with the vegetation permit called "Visa Vert" (Green Visa). By signing the charter, residents contribute to embellishing the living environment and bring nature into the city by increasing the number of trees, plants, flowers and shrubs. Through the charter, signatories commit to follow instructions related to tidiness and safety. The holder of a visa commits to respect aesthetics through the choice of colors, shape and size of installations. The City of Marseille reserves the right to visually and graphically mark the vegetated sites. A technical committee, led by the Municipal Nature in the City and Eco-citizenship Services(Service Nature en Ville et Ecocitoyenneté), under the Municipal Directorate for the Environment and Quality of Life (Direction de l’Environnement et du Cadre de Vie) grants the Green Visa according to criteria of safety, use and sharing of public space, and choice of plants.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Agreement-based or cooperative instrument›Community-based agreement with the support of the government

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Heat stress and heat island effect
Air quality
Social cohesion
Social equity
Nature appropriation / stewardship
Reconnection to the biosphere / environmental education
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

In addition to overarching biodiversity conservation aims, the Charter aims for the improvement of the living environment and for living in the community. An additional objective is to make the city more beautiful, more welcoming and less stressful, to find the pleasure of being in the city. The instrument also aims to enhance the planting of greenery in the street to reduce air pollution, reduce the effect of urban heat islands, and improve storm water management. The plants themselves also fix certain pollutants, which improves the quality of the water that is discharged into rivers and seas.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

External building greens

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Good practice characteristics:

Support multifunctional NBS

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Inclusivity

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

Nature in the City and Eco-citizenship Services, Directorate for the Environment and Quality of Life

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The instrument was initiated by the Municipal Nature in the City and Eco-citizenship Services under Marseille's Directorate for the Environment and Quality of Life (Service Nature en Ville Ecocitoyenneté, Direction de l’Environnement et du Cadre de Vie). No further information about the process is publicly available.

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

The public-community agreement (the charter) goes hand in hand with the vegetation permit called "Visa Vert" (Green Visa). Individuals who sign the charter are allowed to install plants in public spaces while respecting the safety and use of the tracks by other users. By signing the charter, residents contribute to embellishing the living environment and bring nature into the city by increasing the number of trees, plants, flowers and shrubs. Through the charter, signatories commit to follow instructions related to tidiness and safety. A technical committee, led by the Nature en Ville Ecocitoyenneté Department, grants the Green Visa according to criteria of safety, use and sharing of public space, and choice of plants. Public support in implementation is provided through a guide created by non-governmental actors to support the success of the permits.

Targeted actors:

Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)

Researchers, university

Citizens or community groups (CBOs), NGOs

Marginalized groups: People with functional diversities

Financing

Sources of funding:

Unknown

Budget:

Unknown

Details about instrument financing:

No evidence of the financing details were found in public records.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

The charter and related vegetation permit has been replicated in Paris in 2022.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The vegetation permit linked to the Charter was effective in involving non-governmental actors through the creation of a guide to support the success of the permits. This was conducive to building capacity, gaining public support, and increasing uptake. To improve adoption, administrative challenges have also been addressed by local authorities. The vegetation permit was replicated in Paris in 2022.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

Ville de Marseille (n.d) . CHARTE DE VÉGÉTALISATION DE L’ESPACE PUBLIC MARSEILLAIS. Available at: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiHrIqp6ub4AhXJYPEDHX6nBSoQFnoECAUQAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.marseille.fr%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fcontenu%2Fenvironnement%2FPDF%2Fcharte_vegetalisation_marseille.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3MvRRDVsfX8DrBmQtryJg6 Ville de Marseille (n.d.). Végétalisation des rues. Available at: https://www.marseille.fr/environnement/nature-en-ville/vegetalisation-des-rues

Photos

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