The City and Metropolis of Lyon have launched the planting season, at Quai Sarrail in the 6th arrondissement. This period will extend until next March.
Like every year since the arrival of the Ecologists in the Metropolis and the City of Lyon, the launch of the planting period, which takes place from November to March, is a significant moment. In addition to being “a now ritual day“, as Grégory Doucet, mayor of Lyon, explained this Friday, November 22, this launch is an opportunity to take stock of the greening of the Lyon region.
To illustrate this, this year, elected officials decided to move to the quays of the Rhône, left bank, near Quai Sarrail (6th arr.). There, the banks of the Rhône have already been redeveloped and vegetated with “islets“natural. This first sequence of works, from the Morand bridge to the Lattre Tassigny bridge, was launched in July 2024. An ecological and fresh corridor of 1,600 meters should make it possible to ultimately connect the Parc de la Tête d’Or at Parc des Berges.
Read also: Is the Lyon Metropolis keeping its promise to plant 300,000 trees by 2026?
Regain natural spaces and degrees
The work is therefore continuing and should end in April 2025. This project is also part of the Voie Lyonnaise 1 project, for a total cost of 2.4 million euros. The objective is to de-waterproof the soil and use rainwater runoff for the benefit of plants. “We need to make cities more permeable“, maintained Grégory Doucet, in reference to the last floods which occurred in October. The Lyon city councilor also recalled that the World Health Organization (WHO) advises 10 to 12 m2 of nature near each place of residence. “We're not there yet, but this year alone, we're taking back 3 hectares of nature“, he continued.
During this planting period, 8,280 m2 will thus be vegetated: 5,000 m2 created by the City of Lyon, the rest by the Metropolis. “We're going to break our record“, smiled Pierre Athanaze, vice-president at the Metropolis, in charge in particular of nature in the city and biodiversity. Before returning to the development of the left bank: “This planting will tick all the boxes. We had old quays, it was tarmac, another era. We will gain in aesthetics, in temperature – we will feel it from summer 2026 – and in terms of biodiversity with a 1.6 km corridor that goes right into the city center“.
Two “nature plans” to stay on course
What is new, too, is the way of planting. Land quality, planting density, heights, water storage… So many details to take into account. “We must plant more, better and with. It is beneficial“, summarized Gautier Chapuis, deputy mayor responsible for greening, among others. And assured: “We want to revegetate at the foot of the trees up to major urban projects“.
As part of the nature plan launched in 2022 by the City of Lyon, to which 141 million are allocated, the community promises to carry out 71 additional vegetation operations until March 2025. The Métropole de Lyon, also a carrier of a nature plan, aimed at 300,000 trees planted by 2026. This year, for the first time, it launched a free distribution of 2,000 trees to its inhabitants, which will begin this Saturday. “In a day and a half, all the trees were reserved. It was a real success“, already launched Pierre Athanaze, calling for a second edition.
By then, the agents and companies mandated for the revegetation work on the left bank will have returned the corridor. The shady and refreshing spaces promised by the communities will then be able to delight the Lyonnais, many of whom remained hungry after the announcement of the greening of Place Bellecour.
Read also:
Related News :