A greener Paris: streets turned into community gardens

The City of Paris has launched an initiative to increase vegetation and greenery in the heart of the capital.  The Mayor of Paris plans to create rue végétales in each arrondissement, allowing nature to reassert itself within our tarmac-heavy capital.

Pedestrian-only streets
The streets and small passages chosen are pedestrian-friendly and often have eco-friendly transportation and local shops present. Turf will cover these often narrow, cobble-stoned streets, garden boxes will be present, and climbing plants will cover walls and sidewalks.

A group project
Neighborhood residents will be the ones responsible for the life of these streets. They are invited to partake in the development and maintenance of the project, becoming active members in its success. Schoolchildren will even be able to participate in gardening activities with City of Paris gardeners. The project thus also aims to create social ties in the community, another positive aspect of the initiative.

Current rues végétales include rue Lacharrière (11th), rue de Cîteaux (12th), rue Léon-Séché (15th), and rue du Retrait (20th).

Paris’s future rues végétales will include rue Borda (3rd); rue Corvetto (8th)
; rue Montcalm (18th); rue Pierre-Haret (9th), which extends from square Hector-Berlioz to boulevard de Clichy; rue Lacharrière (11th), close to square Maurice-Gardette; rue Navier (17th), running along square Jean-Leclaire in the Épinettes neighborhood;  
and rue Georges-Thill (19th), connecting rue Petit with avenue Jean-Jaurès.

Planting against pollution
The presence of plants in large cities helps fight against air pollution and cool the air- ideal during heatwaves. The plan of the rue végétale project is thus to increase plant life on Paris city streets and invite residents to garden there. Complementing pre-existing parks and gardens, these plant-filled streets will be a real asset to Paris, who is on track towards becoming a “green city” in the next several years.

Source: Une rue piétonne végétalisée dans le 11e