Greening Paris 2020: Mayor passes ambitious program to improve city climate. One million squaremeters of roof and façade greening are to be installed, 75 acres of new green areas to be created and 20.000 new trees to be planted. The special feature of the program is this: A third of the façade greening are to be used for urban gardening and agriculture. Every school will get its own fruit and vegetable garden and beehives will be installed throughout the city. A third of the participants opted for façade greening in the project “Du vert près de chez moi” (“The green near me”). 200.000 squaremeters of façade greening will be found on public buildings. The project fights for a better city climate, a cleaner city air and biological diversity in the city. In the summer of 2003 a heat wave in Europe affected France and Paris in particular.
What will greening Paris 2020 look like? Paris has passed an ambitious program to increase plantation in the city until the year 2020. One million squaremeters of roof and façade greening are to be installed, 75 acres of new green areas to be created and 20.000 new trees to be planted.
The special feature of the program is this: A third of the façade greening are to be used for urban gardening and agriculture. Every school will get its own fruit and vegetable garden and beehives will be installed throughout the city. The city administration wants to prove, that urban agriculture is manageable. The Parisians were involved early on. A third of the participants opted for façade greening in the project “Du vert près de chez moi” (“The green near me”).
Greening Paris 2020: Public buildings become green buildings
200.000 squaremeters of façade greening will be found on public buildings. Each new construction will have the greening included in the building plan. The greening itself is a challenge for the dense and historic architecture in Paris. It is likely to change the principles in the preservation of sites of historic interest.
The project fights for a better city climate, a cleaner city air and biological diversity in the city. In the summer of 2003 a heat wave in Europe affected France and Paris in particular. Due to the urban heat-island effect, the nights in Paris were more than eight degrees Celsius warmer than the rural areas surrounding the city.
The city administration discusses a rain map that zones the city into different areas. Property owners would have to hold rainwater for a period of time, for example with roof greening.