Clermont-Ferrand, France
City population: 280036
Duration: pre-1990 – 2000
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level, Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: 40216 m2
Type of area: Unknown
Last updated: October 2021

The city of Clermont-Ferrand has 2 sites of family gardens, located at rue Robert Lemoy and rue du Château des Vergnes at which they have installed on a total area of 40 216 m², 172 parcels leased to, mainly, Clermontois residents in apartments without gardens. The gardens are a true place of life for gardeners where families and friends may meet and share convivial moments. Inscribed in a practice respectful of the environment, the gardeners and their cultivations turn toward a kind of agriculture that expects from each gardener an eco-responsible behavior in the production of food (Ref. 1).

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Community gardens and allotments
  • Allotments
  • Community gardens

Key challenges

  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Regeneration, land-use and urban development
  • Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Social cohesion
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation
  • Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
  • Promotion of cultural diversity
  • Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
  • Sustainable consumption
  • Sustainable production

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Maintenance and management of urban nature, Knowledge creation and awareness raising

Project objectives

-To propose an opportunity for residents without gardens (living in an apartment) to cultivate their own garden. -A place of sharing (food, but also convivial moments with neighbors) (Ref. 1) -"To affirm nature as a support to live together" and "To develop sharing spaces around nature and urban agriculture" (Ref. 3, page 28) -"Family gardens are not just gardening places, they are a place to relax, for family meals in particular. There are often cooking areas. Some gardeners share their seedlings, crops and exchange services. " (Ref. 6)

Implementation activities

"Requests [for parcels of land to cultivate] are made by mail addressed to the Mayor. These requests are much higher than the offer, they are registered in the waiting list and remain valid for several years" (Ref. 1) -Event organized by the city for citizens to visit the family garden of Les Vergnes: "The political service of the city and the media library of Jaude propose to leave to the discovery of the family gardens and to meet the gardeners on the spot" (in 2015, Ref. 4 and 5) -Meetings with to organize the sharing day event (in 2014) and consult everyone ideas (Ref. 6) "Cathy set up an abandoned space to make it a "garden" collective". This "collective garden" is meant to host several activities: -Group meals and events -An "Incredible Edible" space (an NGO) -Gardening activities for children (with partners such as CAF, for example) -Shared vegetable gardens (not Incredible Edible, but shared among a few)"(Ref. 6)

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality
  • Non-government organisation/Civil Society
  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality
  • Citizens or community group
  • Other

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
  • Taskforce groups
  • Dissemination of information and education
  • Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
  • Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
  • Co-management/Joint management
  • Citizen oversight (e.g. boards, advisory)

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

-The city of Clermont Ferrand is the main initiator of these family gardens (Ref. 1). -Citizens are the one who rent plots from the city and manage them.

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Unknown

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

  • Public local authority budget
  • Other

Type of funding

  • Earmarked public budget
  • Other

Non-financial contribution

Type of non-financial contribution
  • Provision of land
  • Provision of labour
  • Provision of expertise
  • Exchange of services
  • Other
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
  • Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
  • Citizens (e.g. volunteering)

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area

Economic impacts

  • Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
  • Other

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved social cohesion
  • Fair distribution of social, environmental and economic benefits of the NBS project
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • Increased opportunities for social interaction
  • Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
  • Increased access to healthy/affordable food
  • Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Cultural heritage and sense of place
  • Promotion of cultural diversity
  • Improvement in people’s connection to nature
  • Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
  • Education
  • Increased knowledge of locals about local nature

Type of reported impacts

Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

1. Clermont-Ferrand (n.d). "Jardins familiaux". Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 20, 2020).
2. Kerroux, Sébastien (2013). "Les jardins familiaux clermontois ne sont plus assez nombreux pour répondre à la demande". France 3 Auvergne Rhône Alpes. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 20, 2020).
3. Ville de Clermont Ferrand (2016). “Plan d’Aménagement and de Développement Durables”. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 20, 2020).
4. Ministère de l'Environnement (2015). "VISITE DES JARDINS FAMILIAUX DE LA VILLE". LA SEMAINE EUROPEENNE DU DEVELOPPEMENT DURABLE. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 20, 2020).
5. Anon. (2015). "Visite des jardins familiaux vendredi matin". Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 20, 2020).
6. Cyril (2014). "Compte rendu de la réunion du mercredi 23 avril 2014". Available at: Source link Accessed: July 20, 2020).
7. Clermont-Ferrand (n.d). "Réseau des espaces partagés". Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 20, 2020).
8. Clermont Ferrand (2014). “Rapport 2014 Développement Durable”. Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 20, 2020).
9. La Montagne (2017). "A Clermont-Ferrand, les jardiniers du quartier des Vergnes tirent la sonnette d'alarme". Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 20, 2020).
10. France 3 Auvergne (2018). "Clermont-Ferrand : incendies à répétition dans des jardins familiaux". Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 7, 2020).
11. Camille (2018). "Paroles de jardiniers urbains". Available at: Source link (Accessed: July 20, 2020).