The Mayor of Reims, Arnaud Robinet, has launched a series of ecological projects that promote sustainable development, making the town a leading example of a green 15-minute city.
Robinet came up with the idea of ’ma ville en vert’ – ‘green’ doesn’t just mean beautifying green spaces in cities, but also requires a better understanding of lasting solutions to today’s environmental crisis.
Plots with shared gardens have been marked for individuals and associations to grow, harvest and share seasonal vegetable and fruit products.
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The famous extension of the canal along the Vesle River, called “la coulée verte” or “green belt”, Its picnic spots, cycling paths and walking trails will witness a new plan to reconquer green spaces, called “A la reconquête des berges” or “Reclaiming the Shores”. The town hall aims to transform the 24km long river bank and connect the city to the water.
A 2.5m long paulownia tree felled due to a rotting heart has become a huge public bookshelf for city dwellers.
This old queen tree was planted in the 1920s near the Halles Freyssinet building in Boulingrin, a historic landmark in the city of Reims, but was felled in 2019 after contracting a fungal disease.
Reims is located in the wine region of France, adjacent to the famous Montagne de Reims slope vineyard, known as the “City of Coronation and the City of Champagne”.
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Perhaps France is leading the way in greening urban spaces. For example, there are motor-free zones, cleaner transport, eco-friendly accommodation, restaurants using local produce, organic food markets and plenty of green spaces.
Paris currently ranks first in Essential Living’s Green Cities Index and is often praised for finding locally-based green solutions.
Professor Carlos Moreno of the Sorbonne calls for the creation of “15-minute cities”. This means we can meet our needs for housing, work, education, care, shopping, socializing within 15 minutes of walking or biking.
He said we’ve put up with “ridiculous urban planning” – where long-distance travel or transport using fossil fuels is necessary – for too long.
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The air we breathe in Reims is clean and pure because the city has a Low Emissions Zone (ZFEm) that enforces restrictions on traffic in certain areas of the city. Reims also has 265 hectares of green space with a hundred parks and squares accessible to all.
The Gallo-Roman ruins of Reims – a UNESCO-protected monument and promenade dating back to 1733 – are being brought to life through an ambitious project called Reims Nature.
Robinet calls for ecological projects that use the city’s ancient history to attract the citizens of Reims under the names “rémois” and “rémoises”.
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City Hall’s green space department encourages the idea of a new life for the elderly.
this Mayor’s Appeal For the personal ideas of the citizens of Reims on how to transform the ecological landscape, it is planned to award 5,000 euros during the European Sustainability Week in September 2022.
France leads the city at 15 minutes. Reims is a fascinating example of city and country, where old and new meet, organic champagne, and fresh, locally grown produce – the fruit of a new green city.
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Suhasini Vincent is Associate Professor (Conference Moderator) of Legal English at the University of Assas, Pantheon, Paris. Her research focuses on the legal scope of environmental law in postcolonial countries and the relationship between law and literature in Commonwealth countries, with a focus on India. She has lived in Reims since 1999.
