%L theses_frw4652
%D 2024
%X Cities worldwide urgently have to find solutions to adapt to more frequent and intense weather events along with increasing urbanization. Green infrastructure is regarded as having an important part to play in urban areas’ ability to preserve liveability and mitigate risks associated with extreme weather. However, as space is often scarce in cities, it is difficult to implement successful greening initiatives. Paris is one of the cities that has turned to its citizens for help, as part of its “greening permits” program, which allows citizens to cultivate small plots of public land, such as tree pits. This study investigates the effectiveness of such participative urban greening initiatives through a case study in Paris. Using a mixed-method comprised of field observations and semi-structured interviews, this paper aims to uncover factors which impact the success of participative greening projects in a dense capital city like Paris. Although the program has been scrapped in 2021, there are many examples of successful projects, with many of them still ongoing at the time of writing. Some factors, such as local community involvement, the type of nearby traffic and the proximity with community gardens contributed to improving greening projects, while littering, bad quality edges and lack of accessibility to water were challenges. Addressing these could be done by a greater involvement from the municipality through standardized edges, greater presence on the field and improved watering solutions. While this study focuses on the communities, further research could look into the barriers within institutions in order to complete the picture.
%T Gardening the Gaps:  A Case Study of Participative Urban Greening in Paris
%A Antoine Lenweiter