201
Press Release
September 2015
MORE AND MORE, URBAN LANDSCAPES FEATURE PLANTS,
SHRUBS AND NATURE
LYON, FRANCE IS A GREEN CITY “PAR EXCELLENCE”
Muriel Chaulet © Ville de Lyon
From December 1 to 3, 2015, Paysalia, the “must” landscape, garden & sport exhibition
will bring together everyone active in private and public green space landscaping and
maintenance.
Parc du Vallon
With the development of urban landscaping and the
“downtown nature” concept, increasingly rooted in
French urban policies, Paysalia has already focused
on public authorities and their landscapers and
gardeners for several editions. During the show
an offer mainly targeted to gardens and parks
professionals responsible for green spaces, town
planning and downtown living is unveiled. Other
PaysaliaeventsincludethePublicAuthoritiesDayswith
visits to landscaping features in Lyon and Greater
Lyon and dedicated conferences.
The City of Lyon is a good example of territorial
vegetalisation used to change its appearance and
boost its attractiveness to tourists. Zoom on Lyon’s
green development, which makes nature downtown
an essential and multidimensional challenge.
In coproduction with
In partnership with
PLANTS AND WATER
IN THE INNER CITY
Lyon is a city with over 500,000 inhabitants and covers 4,800
hectares.Over40%ofthetotalsurfaceareaofLYONMetropolis
is covered by public and private parks, gardens and aquatic
spaces.
“Plants and water are important here and significantly
contribute to making Lyon such a pleasant city and good place
to live. We have over 436 hectares of public parks the biggest
of which, the 105 hectare Parc de la Tête d’Or, is one of Europe’s
largest city parks” says Daniel Boulens, Lyon Parks and Gardens
Director and Paysalia Steering Committee member.
To develop the place of nature in the City, Lyon has spent several
years quantitatively and qualitatively reclaiming green spaces,
with over 50 additional hectares created or redeveloped since
2011. The main emphasis is on biodiversity and bringing nature
to the city.
Sponsored by
Under the high patronage of
www.groupagrica.com
With the support of
Parc Sergent Blandan
URBAN RENEWAL PROJECTS
DESIGNED TO ENHANCE THE
QUALITY OF LIFE
From large-scale urban projects such as the banks of the
river Rhone and the Confluence district where the river
Rhône and the river Saone join forces, to the smallest like
local squares, green spaces are now everywhere. Every
year, close to 10% of the city’s 300 parks and gardens are
reworked. Recently, several big spaces have undergone a
total metamorphosis, including :
le Parc Sergent Blandan (Lyon 7th district) in which a
former military barracks was transformed into a 17
hectare inner city park featuring terraces, conserved
natural areas, multi-sports grounds, a skateboard
park and leisure zones.
he recomposition of the 11 hectares of the Parc du Vallon
T
(Lyon 9th district) into three distinct areas: a garden, a
large clearing with a stream and an area of underbrush.
he landscaping of the 3 hectares of the Clos Layat
T
in June 2014 to bring new life to the Moulin à Vent
district (Lyon 8th) and provide new parklands for this
rapidly changing area. These flowered meadows and
woodlands, terraces and adventure playgrounds
have created a place for nature, ideal for promoting
biodiversity. In January 2015, the Park won an “Espaces
Publics et Paysages” prize awarded by the Département
du Rhône for the environmental quality of its project.
The multiplication of green spaces and public spaces and
green lanes, plus the safeguarding of biodiversity in the
inner city makes life more enjoyable for local inhabitants
and contributes to public health. “For both people and
businesses, the quality of life is now a major factor in
deciding where to locate to. Over the last ten years we
have seen major changes in the use of our urban space
and our public space landscaping policies make a major
contribution to this change” Daniel Boulens explains.
In coproduction with
In partnership with
NATURE IN THE CITY.
A TOURIST MAGNET!
Plants strongly influence inhabitants’ perception of their city –
and also that of visiting tourists. To promote towns and villages,
theVillesetVillagesFleurislabelwascreatedover50yearsago.
It has since become a promotional “must”.
According to IPSOS/CNVVF quality of life studies published in
2011 and 2014, the Villes et Villages Fleuris label is a positive
attraction for 93% of people polled, attracts tourists for 81% and
for 78% demonstrates respect of nature and the environment.
“Currently, holiday makers are bombarded with offers of
destinations and the crisis context exacerbates competition.
The label is truly an additional advantage for communities as
it confirms the high quality of welcome tourists can expect. In
the Rhône-Alpes region, 401 communes have won the label”
explains Severine André, Villes et Villages Fleuris manager for
Rhône-AlpesTourism.AndinLyon,thisbenefitisillustratedbythe
fact that the Parc de la Tête d’Or attracts 2.5 to 3 million visitors
a year. “During two-day visits, many tourists spend one half-day
to “breath” in the Parc de la Tête d’Or, particularly as it is free!”
Daniel Boulens adds.
To guarantee a high quality of life for both inhabitants and
visitors, municipalities are increasingly attentive to meeting
their needs for nature and have adopted a host of innovations.
Valorisation of plant-based structures, openings onto natural
surroundings… beautifying urban areas by highlighting nature
downtown is a hallmark of modernity. “As regards innovation,
the Culture/Nature mix works particularly well with, for
example, the integration of works of art in green spaces like
on the banks of the river Saone” adds Severine André, Villes et
Villages Fleuris manager for Rhône-Alpes Tourism.
Muriel Chaulet © Ville de Lyon
Muriel Chaulet © Ville de Lyon
Press Release
September 2015
Clos Layat
Sponsored by
Under the high patronage of
www.groupagrica.com
With the support of
201
Press Release
September 2015
To preserve their green inheritance, works carried out
by the Direction des Espaces Verts fully respect the
environment. Thus, Lyon civic employees work “with” and
not “against” nature. They differentiate management
practices between parks and gardens. For example,
they plant species requiring little water, they use “smart”
automatic watering techniques, irrigate without the use
of drinking water and have eliminated pesticides. The
City of Lyon enthusiastically supports this environmental
protection approach. This rigour and constancy won it
ISO 14001 certification 10 years ago - and has reduced
ground keeping costs significantly. Good housekeeping
means it can invest in ever more ecological techniques.
INNER CITY NATURE IN LYON
MEANS:
1,800 hectares of greenery, a green and blue
urban tapestry
36 hectares of parks and gardens open to
4
the public
Muriel Chaulet © Ville de Lyon
EXPERT ENVIRONMENTAL
MANAGEMENT
Parc Saint-Rambert
These good practices (rainwater management,
for example) will be presented during the
Paysalia Public Authorities Days on December 1st
and 2nd, 2015. Organized with the City of Lyon,
300 parks, squares and gardens
in partnership with AITF, Hortis and the CNVVF,
24.3km of green pathways
these two days will be an opportunity to discover
80.000 trees in parks and along roads and
pathways
the latest innovations and techniques adopted in
00.000 annual and bi-annual flower seedlings
6
planted every year
visits to sites in inner city Lyon and Greater Lyon
(Meyzieu, Vaulx-en-velin, Chassieu-Décines) with
223 adventure playgrounds
councillors and green space directors, managers
88 fountains, basins and misting units
and technicians.
For more information on the Ville et Villages Fleuris (Flowered Cities and Villages) label:
www.villes-et-villages-fleuris.com / http://pro.rhonealpes-tourisme.com/fleurissement
PRESS CONTACTS
Agence Bonne Réponse – +33 (0)4 72 40 54 10
Nataly Joubert : +33 (0)6 09 42 25 94
[email protected]
Magali Desongins : +33 (0)6 16 54 55 08
[email protected]
www.paysalia.com
In coproduction with
In partnership with
Sponsored by
Under the high patronage of
www.groupagrica.com
With the support of