Toulouse, France
City population: 703385
Duration: 2016 – 2017
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Central Business District / City Centre
Last updated: October 2021

Renovations were conducted on Bayard Street, an artery in Toulouse, between 2016 and 2017 Rue Bayard, in anticipation of the arrival in 2024 of a new metro station and the complete overhaul of the Matabiau district (Ref. 10). Renovations included introducing vegetation to the commercial street leading to Matabiau station (Ref. 5) and its newly renovated city centre via planting 81 trees (44 pear trees and 37 hazel trees of Byzantium) (Ref. 2). Furniture was also added and sidewalks were widened for greater pedestrian comfort (Ref. 2).

A street with a sign posted
https://www.20minutes.fr/toulouse/2101079-20170707-toulouse-rue-bayard-plein-lifting

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Grey infrastructure featuring greens
  • Alley or street trees and other street vegetation

Key challenges

  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Environmental quality
  • Waste management
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Enabling opportunities for physical activity
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation
  • Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
  • Economic development: service sectors

Focus

Creation of new green areas

Project objectives

The Renovation of Bayard Street aims to reintroduce environmental spaces to an urbanised area by planting 80 trees on both sides of the street, thereby re-greening the space (44 pear trees and 37 hazel trees of Byzantium). The project's aims were motivated local citizens' complaints that the street was falling into disarray, including its visibly failing wastewater network (Ref. 2, 3). The project is in part designed to minimise the effects of urban living on the environment (Ref. 7)

Implementation activities

Work on Bayard Street began in January 2016 (Ref. 1) After 18 months of construction traffic is due to return to the street on July 17th 2017, while it is due to be completed late September 2017. Daniel Billard, president of the association Bayard Avenir, worked for seven years to gain the city's approval for the project (Ref. 2) The first phase of work involved all the concessionaires (GRDF, ERDF, Veolia, telecom operators, rainwater, Lighting which intervene on the networks (Ref. 9). "Cameras have been installed on rue Bayard to limit nuisance and the lighting of the artery has been redone" (Ref. 1). "The sidewalks, "in Sidobre granite, a local material", insists Marc Seguela, project manager for the public spaces department on the works of the city center, have been widened giving greater comfort to pedestrians. A green street: 81 trees have been planted (44 flowering pear trees and 37 hazelnut trees from Byzantium). Street furniture (9 benches, 24 chairs) will be put in place in August. The lighting has also been revised" (Ref. 2).

Main beneficiaries

  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Business association or network

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Unknown

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The project has been led by Toulouse town hall (Ref. 1) The development of the project also involved town planner Joan Busquets (Ref. 3). Daniel Billard, president of the association of merchants of rue Bayard, indicated in 2016 that the association had been asking for renovations for seven years and eagerly awaited the results, expressing doubts that cosmetic changes could address challenges facing the street (Ref. 4).

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

More than €4,000,000

Source(s) of funding

  • Public local authority budget

Type of funding

  • Earmarked public budget

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Environmental quality
  • Improved waste management
  • Water management and blue areas
  • Improved stormwater management
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Increased number of species present

Economic impacts

  • Increased property prices
  • Stimulate development in deprived areas
  • Attraction of business and investment

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Safety
  • Increased perception of safety
  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Other

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) Rimbert, Julie. (2017). Toulouse: La rue Bayard en plein lifting. Available at: Source link (Accessed: September 23, 2020).
(2) Grasso, Silvana. (2017). La nouvelle rue Bayard va-t-elle tenir ses promesses? Available at: Source link (Accessed: September 23, 2020).
(3) Saint-Sernin, David. (2015). C’est le projet de la rue Bayard qui a démarré le 4 janvier 2016. Available at: Source link (Accessed: September 23, 2020).
(4) Saint-Marc, Jean. (2016). Plus d'arbres et des trottoirs plus grands : les travaux sont lancés rue Bayard à Toulouse. Available at: Source link (Accessed: September 23, 2020).
(5) Doumergue, Cyril. (2016). Nouveau quartier Matabiau : la rue Bayard livrée mi-2017, le nouveau parvis en 2019. Available at: Source link (Accessed: September 23, 2020).
(6) Grasso, Silvana. (2017). Bayard : la détresse des commerçants. Available at: Source link (Accessed: September 23, 2020).
(7) Toulouse EuroSudOuest. [no date]. Toulouse EuroSudOuest : le chantier démarre! Available at: Source link (Accessed: September 23, 2020).
(8) Roux, Sylvie. (2015). La rénovation de la rue Bayard débute en janvier : un an et demi de travaux en vue. Available at: Source link (Accessed: September 23, 2020).
(9) Roux, Sylvie. (2016). Les travaux de la rue Bayard font une pause pendant l'Euro. Available at: Source link (Accessed: September 23, 2020).
(10) Immoneuf. [no date]. Toulouse : Les 5 projets de réaménagement du centre-ville à venir d’ici 2020: Elargissement des trottoirs et plus de verdure pour la rue Bayard. Available at: Source link (Accessed: September 23, 2020).
(11) Sadourny, Nicolas (2019). "Rue de Bayard, un renouveau avec de fausses notes". Available at: Source link (Accessed: September 23, 2020).
Construction work taking place on a street
https://www.20minutes.fr/toulouse/2101079-20170707-toulouse-rue-bayard-plein-lifting