Perceptions and Implementations of Urban Green Infrastructures in France: Three Cases of Studies (Paris, Marseille, Strasbourg)

Green infrastructures have gradually become imperative in planning since the end of 1990s in Europe (Jongman et al, 2004). Numerous urban areas in France mobilize and reinterpret the notion according to stakes of their territory (Blanc, 2012). With the promulgation of Grenelle 1 and 2 Laws (in 2009 and 2010), today every local authorities have to integrate an ecological reflection on green infrastructures into its planning projects at metropolitan and local scales, called “trame verte”. To cover a plurality of contexts of cultural, social, geographical and ecosystematic levels, three cities were retained to understand how this reflection is set up: the municipalities of Paris, Marseille, and Strasbourg. Indeed, in Ile-de-France, a number of initiatives reflect the interest of the regional, departmental and municipal authorities for green infrastructures and biodiversity issues: the Seine St-Denis departmental observatory of biodiversity and natural habitats (City hall of Paris, on 2004), the creation of the regional agency Natureparif (2006), the regional strategy for biodiversity (2007), the Paris biodiversity plan (2011). Furthermore, the city of Marseille, influenced by the example of Barcelona metropolitan area and its anellaverda (green ring), plans the development of a green infrastructure on its municipal territory. It confided the study to the Planning Agency of Marseille Urban area (AGAM) which elaborates scenarios for connecting the residual non-constructed spaces, to endow the city of a green infrastructure addressing the environmental issues of sustainable development. Finally, the region Alsace was one of the first regions to integrate a reflection into these environmental policies on green infrastructure in France (in the late 1990s). The Strasbourg local planning in 1992 and the metropolitan plan in 2007 (SCOTER) mention the term “greenway” in their statutory documents. Currently, as part of the development of the urban local plan (PLU), Strasbourg urban community defines a network of greenways in an ecological perspective. Through the consideration of vegetable continuities in town, the notion of green infrastructures brings a revival in the current urban thinking. If scientists in ecological sciences were interested since a few years in this question to fight against biodiversity erosion, green infrastructures appear as a new field of investigation for human sciences. Multifunctionality associated with this notion of meshing offers new challenges as for practices and perceptions of inhabitants. How decision making can take into account and translate their expectations regarding scientific models proposed and political issues? Its diverse dimensions introduce inevitably new modalities of the public debate organization which remain to invent in most cases today. We have compared in each of the studied sites the three following spheres, often distinct from one another: political, scientific and inhabitants

The role of space-time activity patterns in the exposure assessment of residents

International audienceIndustrial development can generate hazardous situations – in particular, when there is a need to deal with dangerous substances, such as those in chemical or petrochemical plants. Too often, these industries are located in the heart of urbanized areas with high-density populations, as urbanization intrudes on the hazardous sites (originally established outside of cities). Protecting civil populations from these risks – either through precautionary measures or special crisis management plans, if a catastrophe occurs – is a key issue. To better protect citizens, identifying the risks to which they are exposed and also how they perceive the risks in their area can help authorities and stakeholders better understand the risks (Glatron & Beck, 2008). Adequate knowledge of these risks can also dissuade populations from settling in certain zones and thus lower their vulnerability. Finally, authorities need to assess the exposure of populations to hazards – through modelling – to set up appropriate and efficient risk management plans based on land planning. The present chapter – founded on responses to a questionnaire-based investigation (see the Annex) carried out in the Milazzo–Valle del Mela area of Sicily, in 2008 – explores two main aspects of exposure assessment: space-time-pattern methodological challenges and results of individual space-time activity data extracted from the investigation in the Milazzo–Valle del Mela area

Evaluer les risques liés au stockage et au transport des hydrocarbures en milieu urbain : l'exemple du dépôt d'Ivry-sur-Seine / Evaluation of the hazards associated with the storage and transport of oil in urban environments : the example of the depot of Ivry-sur-Seine

During the revision of the master plan for the region of Ile-de-France, attention was drawn to the delicate issue of taking account of major technological hazards. On an experimental basis, an evaluation of such risks was undertaken with respect to an oil-storage depot in the inner suburbs of Paris. For this purpose a methodology was developed giving emphasis to the spatial dimension of hazards and introducing the notion of its social cost. An oil-storage depot involves the transport of a dangerous substance to serve customers. Evaluation of the two aspects of risk (the site and the transport) demonstrated, in terms of cost, the importance of the transport element. This is due essentially to the greater frequency of road accidents involving lorries transporting dangerous products.Lors de la révision du schéma directeur d'Ile-de-France, l'attention a été attirée sur la délicate prise en compte des risques technologiques majeurs. A titre expérimental, une évaluation de ces risques a été menée au sujet d'un dépôt d'hydrocarbures situé en proche couronne de l'agglomération parisienne. Elle a été l'occasion d'une tentative d'élaboration de méthodologie faisant un large appel à la dimension spatiale et opérant un détour par la notion de "coût social" du risque. Un dépôt pétrolier entraîne des transports de matières dangereuses en aval pour alimenter la clientèle. L'évaluation de ces deux volets du risque technologique majeur a conclu à la prééminence du risque- transport sur le risque directement lié au dépôt, en termes de coût, essentiellement en raison de la plus grande fréquence des accidents routiers affectant les poids lourds transportant des matières dangereuses.Glatron Sandrine. Evaluer les risques liés au stockage et au transport des hydrocarbures en milieu urbain : l'exemple du dépôt d'Ivry-sur-Seine / Evaluation of the hazards associated with the storage and transport of oil in urban environments : the example of the depot of Ivry-sur-Seine. In: Revue de géographie de Lyon, vol. 71, n°1, 1996. Risques et pollutions industiels et urbains. pp. 17-22

Le citoyen et le politique dans la gestion urbaine des risques majeurs.

National audienc

Une évaluation géographique des risques technologiques ... L'exemple du stockage et de la distribution des carburants en Île-de-France

A geographic assessment of the major technological risks. The case of storage and distribution of fuel in the Île-de-France region. — Town planners have proposed to relocate dangerous industrial sites farther from densely built-up areas, because of the hazards these sites involve. A risk assessment, based on spatial analysis, aims to verify the validity of these proposals, by comparing the hazards of the current and proposed future locations. Regulatory town planning measures to limit construction around the hazardous sites are used to estimate damage to the potentially affected areas. A GIS proved valuable for extending the comparative method to the risks associated with flows of hazardous goods, since this aspect of the industry was shown to generate risks that could increase with greater transport distances.Face aux risques que présentent certains établissements industriels dangereux étroitement insérés dans le tissu urbain (ici les grands dépôts pétroliers de la région Île-de-France), les planificateurs souhaiteraient les voir implanter en marge d'agglomération. La mise en place d'une méthode d'évaluation fondée sur l'analyse spatiale a pour objectif de vérifier la pertinence de ces propositions, en comparant les risques des deux localisations. Les textes qui réglementent la maîtrise de l'urbanisation en France servent d'appui à l'estimation des dommages dans les zones d'effet des accidents potentiels. Le recours à un SIG s'est avéré efficace pour étendre la méthode comparative aux risques liés au transport terminal des carburants vers une clientèle nombreuse, générateur de grands risques qui menacent de s'accroître à mesure que les trajets augmentent.Glatron Sandrine. Une évaluation géographique des risques technologiques ... L'exemple du stockage et de la distribution des carburants en Île-de-France. In: Espace géographique, tome 28, n°4, 1999. pp. 361-372

Les enjeux territoriaux et urbains des risques technologiques majeurs

Glatron Sandrine. Les enjeux territoriaux et urbains des risques technologiques majeurs. In: L'information géographique, volume 64, n°3, 2000. pp. 276-280

Industries dangereuses et planification: cartographier les risques technologiques majeurs

Hazard prevention has been mandatory since 1987 : it has now become an integral part of urban planning. A comprehensive map of major hazards should therefore be established to serve as a reference document whenever development is planned. A first tentative draft has been undertaken as a technological hazard GIS : this is rendered difficult however because it is not easy to gather information about the possible impact of hazards, and also because of an obvious reluctance to have major hazards publicised.Rendue obligatoire depuis 1987, la prévision des risques majeurs est entrée dans le domaine de la planification urbaine. Il est donc nécessaire d’en dresser la cartographie la plus exhaustive possible pour établir un document de référence permettant de prendre ces risques en considération lors de toute action d’aménagement. Une première tentative cartographique a été réalisée sur SIG pour les risques technologiques, à titre exploratoire, étant donné les difficultés rencontrées d’une part pour la collecte des informations relatives aux impacts d’éventuels accidents, d’autre part pour faire accepter l’affichage exhaustif des risques majeurs.Obligatoria desde 1987, la previsión de los riesgos mayores ha entrado en el ámbito de la planificación urbana. Es necesario, pues, establecer su cartografía más exhaustiva para elaborar un documento de referencia que permita tomar en consideración dichos riesgos en cualquier acción de ordenamiento territorial. Una primera tentativa cartográfica fue realizada con SIG para los riesgos tecnológicos, a titulo de prueba, a causa de las dificultades para recolectar informaciones relativas a los impactos de accidentes eventuales por una parte, y por otra, para imponer la publicación exhaustiva de los riesgos mayores.Glatron Sandrine. Industries dangereuses et planification: cartographier les risques technologiques majeurs. In: Mappemonde, 1995/2. pp. 32-35

A geographical method to assess technological hazards. The example of the storage and the distribution of fuel in the urban region of Ile-de-France

Les risques technologiques majeurs sont pris en compte dans la planification urbaine par le biais d’une limitation de l’usage des sols autour des établissements dangereux, car le niveau du risque dépend en grande partie de l’occupation des sols. Dans les régions à forte densité urbaine, cette restriction justifie la volonté du planificateur de délocaliser les établissements dangereux. Mais c’est faire peu de cas des éventuels transferts de risques vers un autre maillon de la chaîne industrielle : le transport des matières dangereuses. Avec l’aide d’un SIG, qui décrit précisément l’usage des sols, une méthode est développée pour comparer les risques- site (autour d’un établissement industriel dangereux) et les risques-transport (le long du parcours des véhicules livrant les matières dangereuses). Cette méthode permet de comptabiliser les dommages survenant à l’intérieur des espaces potentiellement touchés par les conséquences d’un accident et de travailler à l’échelle régionale (aire de chalandise). Il autorise les calculs réitérés d’où la possibilité de simuler les risques pour différentes implantations d’un établissement dangereux et, ainsi, de vérifier la pertinence des propositions de délocalisation. Le stockage et la distribution par la route des carburants ont été pris comme exemple car ils concernent de vastes régions urbaines comme l’Ile-de-France.As the land use -and the density - is a predominant factor to determine the level of risks, the European and national legal plan to limit the land uses around dangerous industrial plants, like fuel storage installations. In urban areas, it leads to a reduction of construction possibilities; which is why planners sometimes offered to remove those dangerous industries. But in that case, they do not take into account that the flows of dangerous substances may grow and increase transport-risks. With the help of a GIS where land use is precisely described, a method is developed to compare risks around a dangerous plant and risks relevant to the dangerous flows to and from that plant. It is based on the calculation of damages within the areas potentially touched by the consequences of an accident. The GIS is very useful to calculate these damages at a regional scale (where dangerous substances are delivered) and to compare the risks for various simulated locations of a plant in order to check the pertinence of the planner’s propositions of removal. The case of fuel oil storage and road traffic have been chosen, as they take place in a large urban area, the region of Ile - de-France for our example

A geographical method to assess technological hazards. The example of the storage and the distribution of fuel in the urban region of Ile-de-France

As the land use -and the density - is a predominant factor to determine the level of risks, the European and national legal plan to limit the land uses around dangerous industrial plants, like fuel storage installations. In urban areas, it leads to a reduction of construction possibilities; which is why planners sometimes offered to remove those dangerous industries. But in that case, they do not take into account that the flows of dangerous substances may grow and increase transport-risks. With the help of a GIS where land use is precisely described, a method is developed to compare risks around a dangerous plant and risks relevant to the dangerous flows to and from that plant. It is based on the calculation of damages within the areas potentially touched by the consequences of an accident. The GIS is very useful to calculate these damages at a regional scale (where dangerous substances are delivered) and to compare the risks for various simulated locations of a plant in order to check the pertinence of the planner’s propositions of removal. The case of fuel oil storage and road traffic have been chosen, as they take place in a large urban area, the region of Ile - de-France for our example

Evaluation of socio spatial vulnerability of city dwellers and analysis of risk perception: industrial and seismic risks in Mulhouse

Social vulnerability has been studied for years with sociological, psychological and economical approaches. Our proposition focuses on perception and cognitive representations of risks by city dwellers living in a medium size urban area, namely Mulhouse (France). Perception, being part of the social vulnerability and resilience of the society to disasters, influences the potential damage; for example it leads to adequate or inadequate behaviour in the case of an emergency. As geographers, we assume that the spatial relationship to danger or hazard can be an important factor of vulnerability and we feel that the spatial dimension is a challenging question either for better knowledge or for operational reasons (e.g. management of preventive information). We interviewed 491 people, inhabitants and workers, regularly distributed within the urban area to get to know their opinion on hazards and security measures better. We designed and mapped a vulnerability index on the basis of their answers. The results show that the social vulnerability depends on the type of hazard, and that the distance to the source of danger influences the vulnerability, especially for hazards with a precise location (industrial for example). Moreover, the effectiveness of the information campaigns is doubtful, as the people living close to hazardous industries (target of specific preventive information) are surprisingly more vulnerable and less aware of industrial risk