Targets for the amount of urban green spaces and trees - Lyon

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Lyon, France has introduced specific targets a for the overall amount of green spaces and trees to exist in the city. The targets are part of the city's local urban planning and habitat plan 2019 (Plan Local D’Urbanisme & De L’Habitat 2019 - PLU-H), which sets binding targets for the improvement of the cities environmental performance. The PLU-H aims to encourage urban renovations, protect natural areas as well as heritage and urban functions, and enhance housing affordability and environmental awareness. The PLU-H regulation defines a minimum of 1 tree per 4 parking spots and 1 tree per 40m2 on empty spaces. Amendment No. 3 extends the protection of vegetated or wooded areas in the heart of the city to new sites.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Legislative, regulatory and strategic instruments›Standards

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Soil quality
Water management (e.g. reuse)
Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Drought and fire risk
Flood risk: pluvial and fluvial / soil permeability
Heat stress and heat island effect
Landslide risk
Air quality
Social equity
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The standard aims to increase the area of green spaces and trees in Lyon, not least to restore and strengthen ecological connectivity. The aim of the standard is also to improve water management (e.g. reuse), green space management (e.g. accessibility), reduce flood risk pluvial and fluvial / soil permeability, heat stress and heat island effect, reconnect citizen to the biosphere and promote environmental education, human health, comfort and well-being in Lyon.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Parks and (semi)natural urban green areas

Allotments, community gardens or agricultural areas

Green areas for water management

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Good practice characteristics:

Support multifunctional NBS

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

City of Lyon

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The standard was initiated in a top-down fashion by the local authorities at municipal scale after being introduced through the 2019 Local Urbanism and Housing Plan (PLU-H).

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

The standard is implemented by the municipality of Lyon, and urban development companies have to abide by it in practice.

Type of non-governmental actors involved:

Implementation of NBS (e.g. with government funds)

Targeted actors:

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Citizens or community groups (CBOs), NGOs

Financing

Sources of funding:

Unknown

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Yes

The 2022 public investigation monitors the total number of additional trees in the city since 2019.

Did an evaluation take place?:

Yes

The 2022 public investigation evaluates progress with regards to the targets for the amount of urban green spaces and tress in Lyon since 2019.

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

Amendment No. 3 (2022) extends the protection of vegetated or wooded areas in the heart of the city to new sites, which increased by 236 hectares (2.6%) compared to 2019, including 206 hectares classified wooded area. Moreover, some fifteen sites reserved for green spaces or ecological continuity are also registered (16 ha), including two for ecological continuity (Oullins and Rillieux-la-Pape). The 2022 public investigation quantifies the total number of additional trees in the city since 2019.

Success factors and lessons learned:

By setting binding targets on the amount of trees on parking spots and per area of empty spaces and by extending the protection of wooded and vegetated areas, the city was able to successfully increase the amount of trees and green areas in the city. The protection of vegetated or wooded areas in the heart of the city to new sites increased by 236 hectares (2.6%), including 206 hectares classified wooded area. Moreover, some fifteen sites reserved for green spaces or ecological continuity are also registered (16 ha), including two for ecological continuity (Oullins and Rillieux-la-Pape). Another success factor is having the standard be part of an existing strategy to give it more weight. Moreover, it comes in a bundle with support from the other standard on green spaces in new urban development projects.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

Metropole de Lyon. (2019). Plan Local D’Urbanisme & De L’Habitat. 2019. “Metropole de Lyon: A.4 Règlement.” Grand Lyon. Available at: https:// pluh.grandlyon.com/data/pdf_generaux/REGLE.pdf. Prevost, A., Molines, N., Dehan, P. and Bandet, J. (2012). The Urban Planning of French Cities and the Challenge of Sustainable Town Planning: Improvement and Limits. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280595952_The_urban_planning_of_french_cities_and_the_challenge_of_sustainable_town_planning_improvement_and_limits. Metropole de Lyon. (2022). PLU-H -MODIFICATION N° 3- ENQUÊTE PUBLIQUE 2022. Rapport de présentation. Exposé général des motifs des changements apportés (Art R151-5 du code de l'urbanisme). https://www.grandlyon.com/fileadmin/user_upload/media/pdf/urbanisme/pluh/modif3-pda/3-modif3/1-metropole/01_m3-dpa-dep_m3_rapport-pres.pdf

Photos

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