Contained in the “Climate and Resilience” law of 2021, the principle ofZero net artificialization (I will), emanating from the proposals of the Citizens’ Convention for the climate desired by Emmanuel Macron, continues to arouse protests in small and medium-sized, rather attractive municipalities, which fear that it will become an obstacle to their expansion, and to the construction of housing.
On December 16, 2024, the senator of Vaucluse, Jean-Baptiste Blanc, and the mayor of Salon-de-Provence, Nicolas Isnard, came to present their vision of ZAN during the “Sustainable Development” commission of the Regional Federation of Public Works (FRTP), organized in Salon-de-Provence.
For Jean-Baptiste Blanc, “It’s a revolution like there hasn’t been in a long time, we’re going to have to review our ways of thinking and acting.” But by traveling across France to meet elected officials and understand its impacts locally, in territories with very different characteristics from large metropolises, the senator – and rapporteur of the ZAN commission – convinced himself to the need for flexibilitybelieving, moreover, that land sobriety has already begun.
According to him, the artificialization of land would have fallen in a few years from 36,000 hectares per year to 20,000 hectares per year now. Densify, exploit the hollow teeth of urban space, encourage “multifunctionality” and the “reversibility” constructions, or even raising them, or even rehabilitating industrial wastelands constitute some areas of action to prevent the sprawl of citiesbut he regrets the absence of objective data and figures to clearly identify how best to move forward on this path to sobriety…
Contractualize and not impose the ZAN on municipalities
In his eyes, we should hear the voices of the territories a little better, despite the adaptations gradually introduced to allow the deployment of renewable energies or large-scale industrial projects to come to fruition. « We had found a path between sobriety and development, voted for by 9/10ths of the senators in a transpartisan manner and supported by Michel Barnier, but there is no longer a Michel Barnier…”, he explains, noting that uncertainties and constraints have led to a record low in the number of permits granted and construction projects…
For Jean-Baptiste Blanc, it would be necessary “contractualize trajectories for reducing artificialization” between State, Region and municipalities rather than imposing zero artificialization obligations. He hopes that room for maneuver can be found with François Bayrou, mayor of Pau before becoming Prime Minister. “ZAN is a unique case in the world”, he recalls.
The ZAN faced with the 30,000 housing units to be built per year
For Nicolas Isnard, mayor of Salon-de-Provence, and also president of the Etablissement Public Foncier Régional and vice-president of the Region in charge of Employment, there is no question of calling into question environmental ambitions , the mayors subscribe to it, but “we must avoid extremist and radical positions which, under the pretext of wanting to do something good, can lead to things which can prove very harmful. No mayor is there to destroy his city but to make it gentler and more pleasant..
He fears that by going too far, the State will take the risk of increasing the difficulties of the populations and generating on their part a desire to revolt. “If we no longer build, we no longer house. The crises we have experienced like the Yellow Vests will be minor compared to those that await us if we can no longer respond to the only two demands of our fellow citizens: accommodation and a job to make ends meet. If they are satisfied, they will live well. However, we are in the process of building a society where it will no longer be possible to give our children a roof over their heads. Housing production collapses ».
He recalls that30,000 housing units should be built per year in the regionthere are only less than 20,000 currently on average. The need is also estimated at 11,000 social housing units each year, but only 5,000 are built. He cites the example of Salon where fewer than 100 homes have been delivered now compared to 400 to 600 in the mid-2010s. “It’s not for lack of wanting. Land has become scarce, prices have soared, the balance of operations is no longer assured. Result: nothing comes out anymore. I had 2,500 housing requests when I arrived ten years ago, I have 3,300 today. Families live year-round in campsites and apart-hotels. ZAN is bad because it is radical, pragmatism is needed. In some places, it will take zero, in others, we must agree to build as much for housing as for economic development and infrastructure. We cannot treat France as if it were uniform.”
