"Strasbourg grows" educational materials and awareness raising - Strasbourg

@https://www.strasbourgcapousse.eu/projet/rue-cesar-julien/

Launched in 2017, the "Strasbourg grows" programme ("Strasbourg ça pousse") supports residents in urban greening/ farming projects in public spaces in Strasbourg, France. In addition to the website through which residents apply to the programme with their project, the municipality has designed a series of educational material to inform and educate residents during the implementation of their gardening/ greening projects. These are available on the programme website and include guides to greening roofs, facades and walls, natural gardening, local plants, biodiversity in the city or composting, among others.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Knowledge, communication and innovation instruments›Knowledge and/or innovation

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Soil quality
Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Flood risk: pluvial and fluvial / soil permeability
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:

Greening public spaces in Strasbourg has many additional interests, such as the reduction of heat islands, the reduction of particle pollution, and the creation of places of conviviality. Vegetating walls, trees, sidewalks and open public spaces allows the development of the green grid in the city. The corresponding blend of green spaces or nature also fosters the movement of fauna and flora. Greening public spaces in Strasbourg also has many additional benefits, such as the reduction of heat islands, the reduction of particle pollution, and the creation of social spaces for the community.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Allotments, community gardens or agricultural areas

Derelict areas

External building greens

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Good practice characteristics:

Effective

Support multifunctional NBS

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Inclusivity

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

Environmental and Energy Transition Services of the City of Strasbourg (Service Environnement et Transition énergétique de la Ville de Strasbourg)

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

In addition to the "Strasbourg grows" website through which residents apply to the programme with their project, the municipality of Strasbourg has designed a series of educational material to inform and educate residents during the implementation of their gardening/ greening projects. These are available on the programme website and include guides to greening roofs, facades and walls, natural gardening, local plants, biodiversity in the city or composting among others.

Targeted actors:

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Citizens or community groups (CBOs), NGOs

Financing

Sources of funding:

Public local authority’s budget

Budget:

Less than 50 000 €

Details about instrument financing:

The municipality of Strasbourg has a a specific budget of approx. 30,000 €/year dedicated to communication materials and activities.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

The policy instrument supports multiple nature-based solutions simultaneously which serves to mitigate the heat island effect, foster biodiversity and ecologic connectivity, and strengthen social cohesion. There is no evidence available on the impacts of the programme regarding implemented projects, but more broadly Strasbourg has a significant of community gardens (4700) and family gardens (4600) contributing to its green grid. Strasbourg is certainly the leading city in France in terms of urban gardens.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The design and dissemination of urban gardening guides for residents can be replicated in other cities. The designated funding for a communication campaign has been a contributing factor for the successful uptake of the programme and use of the funds. Funding the signs of the individual projects is valuable as it draws attention to the available funds and increase awareness of the initiative, by inspiring and motivating more people to participate.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

Strasbourg.eu. (n.d.) Accueil. Available at: https://www.strasbourgcapousse.eu/ Strasbourg.eu. (n.d.) Outils. Available at: https://www.strasbourgcapousse.eu/outils/

Photos

@https://www.strasbourgcapousse.eu/projet/rue-cesar-julien/