A growing divide is emerging over how much wild vegetation should be allowed to grow in public spaces, as local councils balance heatwave mitigation with concerns over accessibility and aesthetics.
In Bordeaux, the city government under Mayor Thomas Cazenave has launched a clean-up programme to remove plants growing in cracks in pavements and along footpaths, citing fears that overgrown vegetation can obstruct pedestrians, particularly those with reduced mobility.
Municipal teams have been deployed across around 80 streets identified as heavily overgrown in order to restore clearer and more neatly maintained public spaces.
The debate extends beyond Bordeaux. In Montpellier, officials and local residents are taking a different approach, with the Méditerranée district designated as the city’s first ‘Quartier sauvage’.
Raised bed installed in Montpellier as part of a greening projectCécile Marson, Montpellier3M
The initiative is led by the Mare Nostrum Residents’ Association in partnership with the Tela Botanica network and the city council.
Under the scheme, routine maintenance such as weeding and mowing has been suspended in several streets.
Instead, residents are encouraged to take part in Sauvages de ma rue, a citizen-science programme that promotes the identification and recording of wild plants growing in everyday urban settings, including pavements, around the bases of trees and on walls.
Supporters argue the approach allows cities to better understand urban biodiversity while encouraging a more tolerant attitude to spontaneous vegetation in public spaces.
Experts say the broader issue is becoming increasingly urgent as France faces more frequent heatwaves and periods of drought. Urban vegetation can help cool cities, absorb rainwater and improve air quality.
However, it also raises questions about maintenance costs, safety and the role and appearance of public spaces.
Local plant varieties prove robust even in citiesCamille Savage, Plante & Cité
Ludovic Provost, communications manager at Plante & Cité, a research and experimentation organisation established 20 years ago to address issues relating to green spaces and urban landscape design, says the problem is not new for the increasing numbers of urban planners and scientists working on similar schemes.
“Since our creation, we have brought together local authorities, companies, researchers and training organisations, all with the shared goal of advancing practices in urban nature management,” said Mr Provost.
He said there are now 800 member organisations, including 250 local authorities working towards the same objective.
“The integration of spontaneous flora in urban areas is a recurring issue. We have carried out studies on public acceptance of urban flora, best practices for weed control, and ecological management within the framework of the national Ecophyto plan since 2008.
Each year, we conduct around 30 studies and publish technical guides and tools to better support professionals. The publication Better Integrating Spontaneous Flora in Cities, published in 2015, summarises part of this work.”
Mr Provost added that cities are still struggling with the practical side of urban nature policies: “The choice of plant species in urban environments, in response to biodiversity and climate adaptation challenges, raises many questions among land managers. This is a subject on which we carry out a wide range of studies,” he said.
Disability groups have cautioned that biodiversity initiatives should not compromise accessibility.
APF France handicap said that “on the ground, inaccessibility remains the norm”, while the pedestrian group 60 Millions de Piétons warned that for disabled people, navigating public spaces is “still an obstacle course”, citing pavements that are “too narrow, broken up and cluttered with obstacles”.
