Marseille, Marseille (FUA), France
City population: 1850000
Duration: 2018 – ongoing
Implementation status: Ongoing
Scale: Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Public Greenspace Area, Vacant or abandoned land
Last updated: October 2024

The City of Marseille is engaged in a city-wide project to develop community gardens across its territory. It supports project leaders by providing municipal land and offering a framework along with technical support (Ref 5). Currently, there are 80 community gardens, including 66 shared gardens and 14 family gardens, covering nearly 32 hectares in total (Ref 1). Marseille aims to provide all residents with spaces for relaxation and socialization in every neighbourhood, particularly fostering shared gardening spaces in neglected land, forgotten squares, building bases, or areas awaiting development. (Ref 1). Community gardens contribute to the city's beautification and support biodiversity (Ref 1) and are founded on values of solidarity, conviviality, and fostering connections between generations and cultures (Ref 4). This initiative also addresses the issue of agricultural land disappearing due to urbanization, while Marseille's many abandoned wastelands offer genuine opportunities to rethink production models (Ref 3). The city has created a Charter to be signed between the city and garden managers, which can include groups of residents or associations (Ref 2). The charter includes criteria such as citizen involvement, fostering social connections, promoting biodiversity, restoring soils’ health, planting local species, and eco-responsible gardening practices (Ref 2). In return, the city supports the development of these gardens, providing land and offering technical and methodological assistance, including soil analysis and advice on environmentally friendly gardening practices (Ref 2). Additionally, community gardens can serve an economic purpose by creating jobs and enabling the production of healthy and flavorful fruits and vegetables at a lower cost (Ref 2).

Picture of the community garden Parc de la Moline in Marseille, part of the city-wide initiative to develop comminity gardens
Picture of the community garden Parc de la Moline in Marseille
https://madeinmarseille.net/3070-marseille-agriculture-urbaine-jardin-partage/ accessed on 05/09/2024

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
  • Habitat and biodiversity restoration
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation
  • Improving mental health
  • Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
  • Inclusive governance
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Social cohesion
  • Social interaction
  • Environmental education
  • Sense of community and community engagement
  • Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
  • Economic development: agriculture
  • Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
  • Sustainable consumption
  • Sustainable production

Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)

  • Environmental Degradation
  • Biodiversity loss
  • Land use and Socio-economic change
  • Agriculture/ crop production
  • Rapid urbanization
  • Unequal availability and access to public green spaces

Key priorities

Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration), Social Justice and community

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments), Transformation of previously derelict areas, Transformation of vacant land into green spaces, Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Sustainable use of natural resources to improve livelihoods and food security (eg. community- based wildlife or forest management), Educational and awareness raising programs, Strategy, plan or policy development, Implementation of city-wide or neighborhood initiatives focused on biodiverity protection (e.g. bee-friendly initiatives, butterfly protection, "Spring cleaning")

Project objectives

1) Enhance social cohesion and social interaction (Ref 1) 2) Contribute to the beautification of the city (Ref 1) 3) Improvement of the quality of life of the residents (Ref 1) 4) Support the preservation of biodiversity and create an ecological continuum (Ref 2) 5) Foster solidarity and connections between generations and cultures (Ref 1) 6) Address the decline of agricultural land due to urbanization (Ref 3) 7) Rethink local production models using abandoned wastelands (Ref 3) 8) Provide healthy and delicious food at lower cost (Ref 2) 7) Potentially creating jobs (Ref 2)

Implementation activities

1. Establishing 80 collective gardens, consisting of 66 shared gardens and 14 family gardens in 2023 (Ref 1). Establishing more in the following years. (Ref 3) 2. Providing municipal land for the creation of collective gardens. (Ref 3) 3. Creating a charter to be signed by garden managers, outlining criteria for citizen involvement social and ecological functions (Ref 2) 4. Supporting the development of community gardens through methodological and technical assistance, including soil analysis and environmentally-friendly gardening advice. (Ref 2) 5. Planting local species of vegetables, fruit, herbs, flowers and trees (Ref 3) 6. Create micro-habitats for small fauna (dead wood, dry stones, insect hotels for communication purposes, etc.) (Ref 5) 7. Create composting areas (Ref 5) 8. Organizing public events for educational and awareness purposes (Ref 2)

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity restoration:

  • Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
  • Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
  • Restore native species
  • Restore ecological connectivity
  • Public engagement

Main beneficiaries

  • Non-government organisation/Civil Society
  • Citizens or community groups
  • Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)

Governance

Management set-up

  • Government-led

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
  • Deliberative decision-making processes (e.g., consensus building, deliberative polling)
  • Dissemination of information and education
  • Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
  • Citizen oversight (e.g. boards, advisory)

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

- The city of Marseille is providing framework, support and lands for the different comunities gardens to develop (Ref 2, 5) - The groups of residents and local associations design, implement and maintain the communities gardens (Ref 2,1)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? No
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (Part of the broader “bringing nature back to the city" policy, a city-wide revegetalization policy (Ref 7))

Type of enablers

Capacity-building projects, Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships)

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

  • Public local authority budget

Type of funding

  • Earmarked public budget

Non-financial contribution

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

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Environmental quality
  • Improved soil quality
  • Expected improved soil quality
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Expected increased green space area
  • Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
  • Expected increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
  • Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
  • Expected increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
  • Increased conversion of degraded land or soil
  • Expected increased conversion of degraded land or soil
  • Reduced biodiversity loss
  • Expected reduced biodiversity loss
  • Increased number of species present
  • Expected increased number of species present

Economic impacts

  • Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
  • Expected increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
  • Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
  • Expected increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved social cohesion
  • Expected improved social cohesion
  • Improved liveability
  • Expected improved liveability
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • Expected improved access to urban green space
  • Increased opportunities for social interaction
  • Expected increased opportunities for social interaction
  • Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
  • Expected increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
  • Increased access to healthy/affordable food
  • Expected increased access to healthy/affordable food
  • Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
  • Expected increased sustainability of agriculture practices
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Enhanced cognitive restoration, relaxation and stress relief
  • Expected enhanced cognitive restoration, relaxation and stress relief
  • Education
  • Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
  • Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature

Type of reported impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs

Unknown

References

1.
City of Marseille (n.d.). Jardins collectifs. Marseille: City of Marseille, p. 1-3 Accessed on September 5, 2024, [Source link];
2.
City of Marseille (2010). Charte des jardins partagés de Marseille. Marseille: City of Marseille, p. 1-4 Accessed on September 5, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Made in Marseille (2018). Marseille, terre d’agriculture urbaine en plein essor. Marseille: Made in Marseille, p. 1-4 [Source link];
4.
town hall of the 11th and 12th district (n.d.). Les jardins partagés. Marseille: town hall of the 11th and 12th district, p. 1 Accessed on September 5, 2024, [Source link];
5.
City of Marseille (2024). Jardin partagé du parc des Soeurs franciscaines de Marie : appel à candidatures. Marseille: City of Marseille, p. 1-7 Accessed on September 5, 2024, [Source link];
6.
INSEE (2021). Demographics- Dossier complet Commune de Marseille (13055). Marseille: INSEE, Accessed on September 5, 2024, [Source link];
7.
City of Marseille (n.d.). Végétaliser notre espace public. Marseille: City of Marseille, p. 1-3 Accessed on September 5, 2024, [Source link];
Picture of the recent renewal of the Jardin de la Chapelle, part of the community gardens developement policy of the city of Marseille
Picture of the recent renewal of the comunity garden the Jardin de la Chapelle
https://www.marseille.fr/environnement/actualites/jardin-partage-du-parc-des-soeurs-franciscaines-de-marie-appel-a accessed on 05/09/2024
naturescapes bannerInformation about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.