The city of Marseille implemented a vegetation permit starting in 2015 called "Visa Vert" (Green Visa). This urban planning instrument gives individuals the right to temporarily install plants in free public spaces while respecting the safety and use of the spaces by other users. Plants, flowers and shrubs thus contribute to embellishing the living environment and bring nature into the city.
The permit is part of the "Charter for the vegetation of public spaces in Marseille". The Charter aims to support initiatives for the revegetation of streets and promote collective actions for the embellishment of the living environment. It also increases the number of plants in the city. The Green Visa holder agrees to "use organic gardening methods such as organic fertilizers, compost, compost or compost [...] and chooses plants from the list of plants recommended by the Municipality Green Space and Nature Services (SEVN)" (Ref. 5). The recommendations guarantee the good passage of people in wheelchairs or strollers, and prevents the proliferation of invasive species or parasites (e.g. the tiger mosquito) and good air quality.
After a slow start with long waiting times (up to 6 months) for visa requests to be processed by local authorities in 2017, the municipality simplified the administrative process. As a result, citizen decided to form cooperatives and associations to jointly request a visa for specific streets of neighborhoods. The Green Visa is valid for three years, tacitly renewable up to a maximum of 12 years.