Nature and working-class neighbourhoods: new transitions at work

Bibliographical resource

2024

Agence nationale de la cohésion des territoires (ANCT)

On the occasion of the launch of the Fabrique Prospective ‘Nature in priority neighbourhoods: what levers for the ecological transition, employment, social cohesion and territorial cohesion?’, Veille & Territoires is offering a selection of literature co-developed with Elodie Bourgeois, head of foresight and innovation at ANCT.

Improving the living environment, making neighbourhoods more attractive and fostering social cohesion by giving nature more space plays a full part in the fight against global warming and the erosion of biodiversity. Expectations in this area are particularly high in priority urban neighbourhoods, where 8 out of 10 residents consider greening to be a priority. This dossier looks at the many community projects set up in 21 urban policy neighbourhoods to address the issues of nature in the city, biodiversity and the ecological transition. www.cohesion-territoires.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2022-02/DP%20Nature%20en%20ville.pdf

This note constitutes the response to the call for contributions issued by the Agence nationale de cohésion des territoires (ANCT) to the urban policy resource centres (CRPV) for the year 2021. This note illustrates the way in which the CRPVs have tackled the vast subject of the interrelationships between transitions and urban policy neighbourhoods in the recent period (which is still marked by the health crisis). It is based on an observation of their territories, the highlighting of field actions responding to some of these issues and partnership opportunities (which remain to be consolidated/generalised). You may wish to refer to the second part of the document, which includes information on and analyses of initiatives in urban neighbourhoods on the themes of agriculture and food, on the one hand, and the living environment and housing, on the other. cosoter-ressources.info/doc_num_data.php?explnum_id=6343

Over the course of 2019 and 2020, the Labo Cités resource centre offered a 4-day cycle of qualifications to tackle the issues of ecological transition in working-class neighbourhoods. This collection summarises the discussions and relates a number of local experiences that make it easier to understand the challenges of ecological transition in working-class neighbourhoods. Refer in particular to the last day, entitled ‘Residents’ participation and ecological transition in working-class neighbourhoods’, with the example of the flowering of micro-spaces in the Saulaie neighbourhood in Oullins (Rhône). www.labo-cites.org/system/files/documents/publications/2021-11/syntheseTransitionEco2020web.pdf

While the initial study, carried out with INET, aimed to identify the main obstacles to financing the ecological transition in local authorities, as well as possible avenues for change, this new approach is designed to highlight the specific characteristics of suburban towns. The first finding is that suburban towns are pioneers in ecological transition, and that the social dimension plays a key role in this transition. The suburban towns that took part in the study nevertheless stress the existence of structural obstacles (stigmatisation, population turnover, prioritisation, etc. ) and economic factors (health crisis, recovery plan, electoral context) to the ecological and social transition, in addition to a lack of human and financial resources. www.agence-france-locale.fr/app/uploads/2023/03/ETUDE-Financement-Villebanlieue-VF_light.pdf

In 2020, RésOVilles launched an entirely digital ‘Quartiers en transitions’ cycle with the aim of highlighting and disseminating initiatives, debating priorities and offering everyone the resources needed to grasp a subject that is as cross-disciplinary as it is necessary. Here’s a look back at this cycle, which is structured around four themes: transitions, agriculture and food, the circular economy, solidarity and resilience, and informal practices. www.resovilles.com/quartiers-en-transitions-capitalisation-2020/

In addition: ‘Biodiversity and neighbourhoods’. Replay from 27 May 2021. 84 mins. (Replay) www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY10HlS0y0E

Access all the resources from the ‘Quartiers en Transitions’ cycle on the theme of biodiversity in neighbourhoods wakelet.com/wake/ezjf8b6SYCTXMP7iGliZ2

For a long time, environmental issues in working-class neighbourhoods were seen exclusively in terms of social inequalities in exposure to pollution and nuisances. In recent years, ambitious urban renewal and a profusion of local socio-ecological transition initiatives in many of these neighbourhoods have led to a broader and more positive view of the environmental component of urban policy as a genuine lever for development. www.institutparisregion.fr/nos-travaux/publications/la-transition-un-levier-de-developpement-pour-les-quartiers-populaires/

In France, ecology is an object and a political project that is highly situated historically and socially. It is not neutral. It is not immune to the social relations of domination that it reflects and that run through it. The question of ‘ecology in working-class neighbourhoods’ is increasingly emerging in public debate. Mostly to deplore the fact that ecology is of little interest to the residents of these neighbourhoods. But to address this issue properly, we need to ask the following questions. Who are the ecologists, activists and thinkers? What is their sociological profile? Where are the spaces dedicated to ecology located in these areas? What is their point of view, what issues are they defending, what are their priority battles? Who defines the boundaries of ecological thinking and action? www.cairn.info/revue-apres-demain-2020-1-page-27.htm

Allotment gardens in the Ile-de-France region are an ancient form of urban agriculture that reflects changes in the city and the movement of urban populations. They are strongly owned by the gardeners who, through their farming practices and the varieties of plants they grow, maintain a close link with their family history and their place of origin. These communities provide an anchorage for immigrant populations who are integrated into the gardens and benefit from help from other gardeners. On a wider scale, allotment and leisure gardens encourage people to move around the city and integrate newly-arrived immigrants into the various networks of associations and public bodies. hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03114116

Antoine Ly, the programme’s reporter, presents several initiatives carried out in working-class neighbourhoods and in particular that of the association ‘Le sens de l’humus’, set up 13 years ago in Montreuil in Seine-Saint-Denis. The aim is to help disadvantaged groups reconnect with nature. www.franceinter.fr/environnement/l-ecologie-en-banlieue

Does the environmental issue stop at the borders of social housing neighbourhoods? What do occupants have to say about the way they use their space? By looking at the environment from the angle of waste, the authors have gathered what residents have to say and observed their practices in order to understand how they experience their neighbourhoods. Their work reveals that, in working-class neighbourhoods, residents exercise a ‘power to act’ that activates the springs of environmentalism and solidarity. Extract: www.ademe.fr/sites/default/files/assets/documents/environnement-quartiers-populaires-010578-extrait.pdf

Over the last twenty years or so, towns and cities have seen the development of community gardens, particularly in the context of urban policy, which have taken over from the allotments of the 19th century. These new-style gardens have social, economic, ecological, cultural and participatory objectives, and offer a new way of taking ownership of the land, involving local residents in building more sustainable towns and creating new urban landscapes. transferts.anct.gouv.fr/EQC_FocusNatureQPV/CGET_EnBref_Jardinspartages.pdf

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