Date of label : 29/10/2024
Image of the Participatory Urban park.
Summary
Métropole Rouen Normandie (FR) has taken up a daring challenge, to offer to its residents a 28-hectare green lung in the heart of the city. Residents and associations have been invited to transform a former racecourse into a space for leisure and relaxation for all, while preserving the natural ecosystem. The park's educational farm, local producers' shop and restaurant, all run by local stakeholders, offer residents a range of activities based around urban agriculture, while art and design elements reflect the memory of the racecourse.
The solutions offered by the Good Practice
Champ des Bruyères park project aligns with the principles of the Local Urbanism Plan for the Rouen Metropolitan Area, and its priorities: support the outstanding sites that contribute to the region's wealth of sports and leisure facilities, and provide green areas that respect the site.
The project repurposed a former racecourse, closed in 2005, to create the largest urban park in the metropolitan area, which is easily accessible by public and active modes of transport. The park's re-development programme has been co-constructed with local people, from an early stage, as part of an ambitious consultation process that has won regional awards.
Its implementation has been a success, thanks to the large and sustained participation of local residents, as well as the production of projects drafted by the associations involved in the consultation phase.
During this process, local residents were able to take part in walks on the themes of biodiversity, history and landscape of the site, and virtually create their own park using a gaming process, a first in an urban project, with over 800 virtual parks created.
The Champ des Bruyères is a metropolitan park that incorporates programmes managed by the local population, associations, and economic stakeholders.
Building on the sustainable and integrated urban approach
The former racecourse site is located at the crossroads of four towns in the area: Petit-Quevilly, Grand Quevilly, Sotteville-Les-Rouen, and Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, each of which has its own social context. The neighbourhoods adjacent to the park also have very different social profiles. Therefore, the challenge was to build an inclusive and unifying park.
To ensure everyone's expectations are reflected, the local population and associations were involved in the design and implementation phases, which in the long-term will ensure that amenities are respected. For example, the provision of barbecues for residents without gardens is one of the park's most popular facilities.
Biodiversity issues have been taken into account, by preserving the areas of greatest concern and developing a mosaic of habitats conducive to increased biodiversity. The park is a green space in the city, accessible by means of transport other than the car.
Finally, associations and private companies run the educational farm, the restaurant and the local produce shop, demonstrating the short circuit from farm to fork.
Based on participatory approach
The consultation enriched the park programme, resulting in a multiplicity of uses and activities. The aim was to make the site lively, and attractive to the whole population of Rouen, thanks to strong citizen and association participation. This required expanding and diversifying collaborations beyond the usual community-landscaper pairing.
Calls for projects were launched to find private or assocaition actors to manage different parts of the park, including the educational farm and community gardens. After selecting these stakeholders, a design phase integrated them into the park programme.
As such, the park’s eastern fringe is occupied by community gardens, two associations (Champ des Possibles and Triticum) run the educational farm, and private companies run a local products business (Le producer local) and a restaurant (Le Paddock). These activities bring life to the park, while the public authorities are responsible for the park’s maintenance.
What difference has it made?
The educational farm in the heart of the park raises awareness among the public, particularly school children, about agriculture and biodiversity through participatory projects, workshops, and the sale of plants. In 2022, there were 1 278 participants for 45 weekly workshops organised by the association Champ des Possibles, and 800 people took part in activities organised by Triticum.
Collaborations between associations, private companies and the Metropolitan Authority have been established in the park. For example, the local product trade and the restaurant both promote a joint demonstration of “farm to fork”. In addition, visits to the park were organised by the Metropolitan Authority to explain the project to students and communities in Normandy.
Annual events take place, supported by Metropolitan Authority teams, private and association actors, with programmes of workshops and other activities based on the themes of nature, gardening, and artistic interventions. In 2022, the “4 seasons of Parc des Bruyères” event attracted more than 750 people to the educational farm.
Why this Good Practice should be transferred to other cities
A good practice for repurposing an abandoned site in the heart of an urban area, with the participation of and to the benefit of local residents, is an opportunity that many cities can learn from and replicate. It’s an example of how local authorities and residents can work together to define a project, and how synergies can be created between different stakeholders.
There are many positive impacts:
- A green open space, with a variety of environments providing a place for nature in the city, accessible by public transport, cycling and walking.
- A place for sports and leisure activities, to promote health and well-being.
- Educational opportunities for adults and children, especially for urban agriculture.
- Social cohesion, linking diverse neighbourhoods.
- Opportunities for local businesses.
- A cool space amidst an urban heat island, and other climate adaptation aspects.
The practice is entirely applicable to other contexts, with components that are replicable because they are relevant to other areas, and echo the EU and UN sustainable development objectives.
To replicate the approach, there must be a strong political commitment, which involves citizens in consultations as stakeholders, from design to implementation. The participatory process, which democratises decision-making by integrating future users’ input, is adaptable to other contexts.
The participatory experience has enhanced consultations carried out in other projects in the Metropolitan Authority. Beyond Rouen Metropole, Paris and other local authorities have adopted its methods, such as gaming as a consultation tool, while Rouen has also shared its approach with the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture.
Key lessons from the consultation phase that are transferable to other projects include:
- Clearly define non-negotiables early on as guiding principles.
- Set an investment and operating budget from the outset.
- Engage a neutral, external expert to manage consultations.
- Integrate existing associations and community groups into the scheme, and mobilise existing synergies.