Montpellier, France
City population: 417322
Duration: 2004 – ongoing
Implementation status: Ongoing
Scale: Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Other
Last updated: October 2021

"Since August 2004, the city of Montpellier has allowed residents to rent plots of garden, called "Les jardins Familiaux"(family gardens). The first plots were located in the Mosson district, but in view of the success of this operation, the city decided to open additional gardens at the Grands Grès site in the Port Marianne district, then at the Rieucoulon in the Croix- Money. The enthusiasts of green spaces can thus indulge in the pleasure of gardening in family thanks to these brackets of greenery. They grow vegetables and fruit as they please"(Ref. 1). Seventeen gardens (as of August 3, 2020) are located in different areas across the city (Ref. 6). "These gardens are urban planning tools favoring the social bond and the preservation of biodiversity and the urban landscape, for the gardeners interviewed these are essentially places of nature and well-being in the city"(Ref. 4)

Vegetable garden with small wooden structures in background
https://www.montpellier.fr/1862-les-jardins-familiaux.htm

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Community gardens and allotments
  • Allotments
  • Community gardens

Key challenges

  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Habitat and biodiversity conservation
  • 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 justice and equity
  • Social interaction
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Enabling opportunities for physical activity
  • Improving mental health
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation
  • Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
  • Economic development: agriculture
  • 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, Other

Project objectives

-Gardening practices for the own needs of citizens (no commercial use) -Incorporate nature in the city -Social and interaction among citizens, intergenerational exchanges -Biodiversity preservation and urban landscape -Well-being of citizens "These gardens are urban planning tools favoring the social bond and the preservation of biodiversity and the urban landscape, for the gardeners interviewed these are essentially places of nature and well-being in the city"(Ref. 4)

Implementation activities

-Gardening workshops (urban agriculture and ecological gardening) organized by the association of the gardens of Montpellier (Ref. 5) -Workshops organized regularly by the city (Ref. 6)."After being assigned to individuals, the municipality wants the management to be carried out by an association created for the occasion. Each lot, approximately eighty square meters, will be served by a water connection. The outer perimeter will be surrounded by a fence." (Ref. 3) "The Landscape and Biodiversity department now manages 158 family gardens (ref. 2011), spread over three geographical areas: Malbosc, Grands Grès, Rieucoulon. These plots, with an average surface area of 110 m², are available for rent and are reserved for family production." (Ref.1) "These gardens consist of individual parcels delivered fenced and equipped with a shed, a rainwater recuperator and a composter. Leases by tenants are three years."(Ref. 4)

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity conservation:

  • Protect and enhance urban habitats
  • Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem
  • Means for conservation governance
  • Public engagement
  • Capacity building

Main beneficiaries

  • Citizens or community groups
  • Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)

Governance

Management set-up

  • Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality
  • Private sector/corporate actor/company
  • Citizens or community group
  • District/neighbourhood association
  • Social enterprise
  • Other

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Dissemination of information and education
  • Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
  • Citizen oversight (e.g. boards, advisory)

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

These family gardens are first supported and proposed by the City of Montpellier by leasing plots of land to citizens: "The collective gardens of Montpellier, family and community, are the result of initiatives led by different types of actors, associations of gardening or social integration, individuals, students, companies, and in the first place by the municipality" (Ref. 4). -"After allocation to individuals, the municipality wishes that the management be ensured by an association created for the occasion" (Ref. 3). -"Local partnership of shared and family gardens ("Les Jardins solidaires et durables de Montpellier") (Ref. 5) and National partnership of the family gardens (Jardins Familiaux Association, Ref. 9) ". -"Some research and scientific papers have been published (national and precisely on Montpellier shared and family gardens) Ref. 10 and 11. )

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (-Programme Green Thumb (Ref: uploaded document) "ENGAGEMENT CITOYEN: The Landscape and Biodiversity Department hosts two civic services that work on a mission entitled Raising awareness of green spaces and citizen behaviors and initiating good practices in family and shared gardens" from the Sustainability Plan 2016 (Ref. 7, page 45))

Financing

Total cost

€50,000 - €100,000

Source(s) of funding

  • Public local authority budget

Type of funding

  • Earmarked public budget
  • Membership or entrance fees

Non-financial contribution

Type of non-financial contribution
  • Provision of land
  • Provision of labour
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 waste management
  • Improved soil quality
  • Water management and blue areas
  • Improved stormwater management
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
  • Reduced biodiversity loss

Economic impacts

  • Reduce financial cost for urban management
  • Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved social cohesion
  • Fair distribution of social, environmental and economic benefits of the NBS project
  • Improved liveability
  • 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
  • Improved physical health
  • Improved mental health
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Cultural heritage and sense of place
  • Improvement in people’s connection to nature
  • Increased appreciation for natural spaces
  • Education
  • Increased support for education and scientific research
  • Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
  • Other

Type of reported impacts

Expected 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

Yes

References

1. Source link (n.d). "Les jardins familiaux". Available at: Source link (Accessed: August 3, 2020).
2. Conseil Municipal (2010, December). Ville de Montpellier. Available at: "Budget 2011 de la Ville de Montpellier". Source link (Accessed: August 3, 2020).
3. Vendargues (2015). "Des jardins familiaux pour tous". Available at: Source link. Source link (Accessed: August 3, 2020).
4. Scheromm, Pascale (2013). "Les jardins collectifs, entre nature et agriculture". Available at: Source link (Accessed: August 3, 2020).
5. Dsd jardins (n.d)."Les Jardins solidaires et durables de Montpellier". Blog. Available at: Source link (Accessed: August 3, 2020).
6. Montpellier (n.d). "Montpellier main verte !". Section: Ateliers de jardinage biologique. Available at: Source link (Accessed: August 3, 2020).
7. Saurel, Philippe (2016). Ville de Montpellier, Développement Durable - Rapport 2016. Available at: file:///Users/apple/Downloads/Source link (Accessed: August 3, 2020).
8. Source link (n.d). Biodiversité. Available at: Source link (Accessed: August 3, 2020).
9. Jardins Familiaux et Collectifs (n.d). "Histoire". Available at: Source link (Accessed: August 3, 2020).
10. Pascale Scheromm, « L’expérience agricole des citadins dans les jardins collectifs urbains : le cas de Montpellier », Développement durable et territoires [En ligne], Vol.6, n°1 | Mars 2015, mis en ligne le 31 mars 2015, consulté le 21 juin 2017. URL : Source link ; DOI : 10.4000/Source link
Haut de page (Accessed: August 3, 2020).
11. Guyon, Frédérick (2008). "Les jardins familiaux aujourd'hui : des espaces socialement modulés". Article in "Espaces et sociétés 134 (3)." Available at: Source link (Accessed: August 3, 2020).



Map of family gardens around Montpellier
https://www.montpellier.fr/1862-les-jardins-familiaux.htm