1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Marseille (FUA)
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Mur Végétal publicité JCDecaux
Short description of the intervention
From 2009 to 2018, a green wall including 1,700 mediterranean perennials (agapanthus, valerian, fern) fed by a water-saving watering system was in place in a heavily frequented part of Marseille (Ref. 3, slide 4). JC Decaux Advertising offered the 70 m² of space for advertising display around the green wall. The project was abandoned in 2018 when the vegetation was completely removed to allow for advertisements to take up the entire surface of the wall (Ref. 1).
Address

48 Quai de Rive Neuve
13007 Marseille
France

Location
Point location, which indicates where the NBS takes place
Total area
70.00m²
NBS area
70.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Building
Website of the intervention
https://www.tourisme-marseille.com/fiche/le-mur-vegetal-vieux-port-marseille/
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2009
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2009
End date of the intervention
2018
Present stage of the intervention
Completed and archived or cancelled
Please specify "other" stage of the intervention
Inaugurated in October 2009. (Ref. 1)
Goals of the intervention
-The green wall not only absorbs sound, reduces air pollution, is colorful & changing, but also provides advertising services for its sponsor and makes the happiness of passers-by and small birds (Ref. 2)
-"Mark your brand in a responsible ecological approach:
-Make this device a green emblem for your brand
-Engage in a strong and sustainable ecological way" (Ref. 3, slide 4)
Quantitative targets
Construction of the wall itself:
-1,700 Mediterranean plants
-70 m2 of vertical vegetation
-10 meters high (Ref. 2)
Large target: "34,500 trips generated per day and 23,400 individuals (1.5 movements per individual in average )" (Ref. 3, slide 3).
"this green space is also a source of sound absorption and CO2 sensor in the heart of the city" (Ref. 5).
Monitoring indicators defined
Number of Mediterranean plants; m2 of vertical vegetation, # of meters high (Ref 2)
trips generated per day; individuals reached per day (Ref 3)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Water management (SDG 6)
Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Environmental quality
Air quality improvement
Noise reduction
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Economic development: industry
Please specify "other Type of NBS project"
advertising/marketing (Ref 2)
Implementation activities
-"We have imagined for Crédit Agricole the first green advertising wall in France;), created not only an original medium but a "communicating" medium, which speaks for itself: the medium is the message , the positioning of the brand is all at the same time. Sound absorbent, depolluting, odoriferous, colorful & changing, the green wall, in addition to making an image for its sponsor, makes passers-by and small birds happy" (Ref. 2).
-"1,700 mediterranean perennials (agapanthus, valerian, fern ...), fed by a water-saving watering system" (Ref. 3, slide 4).
-"Two months after its official launch, many plants were already dead, it took adjustments so that the eco-system really set up" (Ref. 1).
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
Other
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Nature on buildings (external)
Green walls or facades
Type of Green Wall
Hydroponic living wall (soil-less)
What is the level of innovation / development of the NBS related to water management?
Low: Simple rain water collection intervention (rain garden, local seepage pit) or simple permeable areas
Vegetation Type
Other
Please specify other amenities offered by the NBS
The NBS offered advertising space (Ref. 1): "-Make this device a green emblem for your brand" (Ref 3)
Amenities offered by the NBS
Other
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Regulating services
Air quality regulation
Noise reduction
Carbon storage/sequestration
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Cultural services
Aesthetic appreciation
Inspiration for culture, art and design
Spiritual and / or emblematic (symbolic, sacred and / or religious)
Other
Please specify "other cultural service"
advertising/marketing: green advertising wall in France;), created not only an original medium but a "communicating" medium, which speaks for itself: the medium is the message , the positioning of the brand is all at the same time. Sound absorbent, depolluting, odoriferous, colorful & changing, the green wall, in addition to making an image for its sponsor, makes passers-by and small birds happy" (Ref. 2).
Scale
Spatial scale
Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Private sector/Corporate/Company
Citizens or community groups
Other
Please specify "other primary beneficiary"
consumers
Governance
Governance arrangements
Led by non-government actors
Non-government actors
Private sector/Corporate/Business
Financial institution (e.g. bank, insurer, pension fund)
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
"ICF Novedis, a subsidiary of the SNCF [national railway company] to which the wall belongs, asks the JC-Decaux display company to find a patron for the creation of a work on this space. An agreement is reached with Crédit Agricole Alpes Provence, which is launching the challenge at the Mehdianna agency and the T.I.N.A agency to realize an innovative communication medium for the brand ..."(Ref. 2).
Key actors - initiating organization
Financial institution
Other
Please specify other key actors – Initiating organization
Social Housing lessor ICN which is a subsidiary of national railway (Ref. 2).
Land owners
Railway
Please specify other Key actors - Other stakeholders involved
Social Housing lessor ICN which is a subsidiary of national railway (Ref. 2).
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Financial institution
Other
Land owners
Railway
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Unknown
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
No
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
No
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
No
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify the general plan with GI/NBS section
Nature in the city strategy (Ref. 4)
If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.
Municipal / city level environmental plan or programme
Please specify other vegetation type
Mediterranean perennials (agapanthus, valerian, fern) (Ref. 1); plants (Ref 1); vertical vegetation (Ref 2) ; green emblem (Ref 3)
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
ICF Novedis, a subsidiary of the SNCF (French train company) with JC-Decaux advertising company initially had an agreement with Crédit Agricole Alpes Provence which launched the challenge to the Mehdianna and the T.I.N.A communication agencies to realize this innovative communication medium for Crédit Agricole (Bank company) (Ref. 2)
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Co-finance for NBS
Unknown
Co-financing governance arrangements
Unknown
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
Unknown, not specified
Please specify total cost (EUR)
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
Corporate investment
Type of fund(s) used
Unknown
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Please specify other Business model
green advertising: "green advertising wall in France, created not only as an original medium but a "communicating" medium, which speaks for itself: the medium is the message , the positioning of the brand is all at the same time. Sound absorbent, depolluting, odoriferous, colorful & changing, the green wall, in addition to making an image for its sponsor, makes passers-by and small birds happy" (Ref. 2).
Business models
Other
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Private for-profit actor (e.g. firm, insurer)
Type of innovation
Technological
Product innovation
Process innovation
Infrastructural innovation
Social
Cultural innovation
Please specify technological innovation
Green wall installed with a water-saving watering system and 1700 plants for advertising purposes (Ref. 1, 2 and 3).
Please specify social innovation
Passers-by can enjoy it and it is an innovative way of advertising (Ref. 2) and companies can "Mark [their] brand in a responsible ecological approach; make this device a green emblem for [their] brand; engage in a strong and sustainable ecological way" (Ref. 3, slide 4). Like T.I.N.A agency, commpanies can to "realize an innovative communication medium for the brand..." (Ref 2)
Novelty level of the innovation
The innovation is completely new without connections to previous initiative(s)
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
-"Innovative communication support","The creation of the first advertising green wall in France" (Ref. 1)
-"An XXL format, innovative and sustainable work" (Ref. 2)
Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Climate change
Lowered local temperature
Reduced emissions
Environmental quality
Reduced noise exposure
Water management and blue areas
Improved stormwater management
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Please specify other economic impact
-Innovative advertising strategy (Ref. 1, 2 and 3)
Description of environmental benefits
Environmental quality
-Reduced noise exposure: qualitative description, "this green space is also a source of sound absorption and
CO2 sensor in the heart of the city" (Ref. 5).
-Increased green space area: when active, this NBS increased green space by 70 m^2
-A water-saving watering system (Ref. 1 and 3)
Economic impacts
Attraction of business and investment
Generation of income from NBS
Other
Please specify other socio-cultural impact
-" the green wall, in addition to making an image for its sponsor, makes passers-by and small birds happy" (Ref. 2).
Description of economic benefits
Generation of income from NBS: the green wall simultaneously served as advertising space (Ref. 1).
-Innovative advertising strategy (Ref. 1, 2 and 3)
Social and cultural impacts
Other
Description of social and cultural benefits
-" the green wall, in addition to making an image for its sponsor, makes passers-by and small birds happy" (Ref. 2).
-Passers-by and birds can enjoy it (Ref. 2)
Type of reported impacts
Achieved impacts
Indicators
*Impacts are no longer occurring since the NBS was canceled in 2018 (Ref. 1).
-Reduced noise exposure: qualitative description, "this green space is also a source of sound absorption and
CO2 sensor in the heart of the city" (Ref. 5).
-Increased green space area: when active, this NBS increased green space by 70 m^2
Environmental, social and economic impacts
Water management (SDG 6)
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
Paid employment positions
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
Yes
Please specify the negative impacts
"Two months after its official launch, many plants were already dead, adjustments were needed for the ecosystem to truly fall into place" (Ref. 1). The NBS also ended in 2018 (Ref. 1).
COVID-19 pandemic
No specific information available as of July 30, 2020. The NBS had already ended before stay at home orders became active in all of France from March 16, 2020 to May 11, 2020 (https://www.gouvernement.fr/en/coronavirus-covid-19).
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
No evidence in public records
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Unknown
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Unknown.
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
Web links relevant to the intervention
Ref. 1
Ref. 2
Ref. 3
Ref. 4
Ref. 5
Documents relevant to the intervention
Attachment Size
Presentation of the green wall by JCDecaux (1.32 MB) 1.32 MB
2009 press release about the green wall (5.56 MB) 5.56 MB
List of references
1. Tourisme Marseille (n.d). "Le Mur Végétal Marseille 2013 à Coeur". Available at: https://www.tourisme-marseille.com/fiche/le-mur-vegetal-vieux-port-marseille/ (Accessed: July 30, 2020).
2. MedhiAnna (n.d). "MUR VÉGÉTAL / MARSEILLE - VIEUX PORT ". Available at: http://mehdianna7980.free.fr/index.php?/ongoing/mur-vegetal/ (Accessed: July 30, 2020).
3. JCDecaux (n.d). "LE MUR VÉGÉTAL". Powerpoint Presentation. (Website not available in 2020).
4. Ville de Marseille (n.d). “La nature à Marseille: presentation”. Available at: https://www.marseille.fr/environnement/nature-en-ville/la-nature-marseille-presentation# (Accessed: July 30, 2020).
5. Ville de Marseille, JCDecaux, and Crédit Agricole Alpes Provence (2009). "Une œuvre végétale format XXL en plein cœur de la Cité Phocéenne". Press release. Available at: https://www.ca-alpesprovence.fr/Vitrine/ObjCommun/Fic/AlpesProvence/EspaceD/ComPresse/2009/mur_vegetal_marseille.pdf (Accessed: July 30, 2020).
Comments and notes
Additional insights
Since this NBS was a voluntary corporate social responsibility project, there was no obligation to continue the project which may have contributed to the wall being removed in 2018.
Pictures of the NBS
/sites/default/files/nbs/images/16_fabmur.jpg
/sites/default/files/nbs/images/16_instalmur.jpg
/sites/default/files/nbs/images/16_murprintemps.jpg
/sites/default/files/nbs/images/printemps.jpg
Public Images
Crédit Agricole Alpes Provence green wall
Crédit Agricole Alpes Provence green wall
https://www.tourisme-marseille.com/fiche/le-mur-vegetal-vieux-port-marseille/
Crédit Agricole Alpes Provence green wall
Crédit Agricole Alpes Provence green wall
https://www.tourisme-marseille.com/fiche/le-mur-vegetal-vieux-port-marseille/
Crédit Agricole Alpes Provence green wall
Crédit Agricole Alpes Provence green wall
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tourisme-marseille.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F02%2Fle-mur-vegetal-marseille-3-848x566.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tourisme-marseille.com%2Ffiche%2Fle-mur-vegetal-vieux-port-marseille%2F&tbnid=H_PbYi_fHY_3wM&vet=12ahUKEwjz08CihKvrAhULb80KHRo0BSAQMygEegUIARCdAQ..i&docid=iKkzAiKqUJLIkM&w=848&h=566&q=Le%20Mur%20V%C3%A9g%C3%A9tal%20Marseille%202013%20%C3%A0%20C%C5%93ur&ved=2ahUKEwjz08CihKvrAhULb80KHRo0BSAQMygEegUIARCdAQ
Crédit Agricole Alpes Provence green wall
Crédit Agricole Alpes Provence green wall
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tourisme-marseille.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F02%2Fle-mur-vegetal-marseille-848x566.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tourisme-marseille.com%2Ffiche%2Fle-mur-vegetal-vieux-port-marseille%2F&tbnid=rAbn5K6SxBEgYM&vet=12ahUKEwjz08CihKvrAhULb80KHRo0BSAQMygCegUIARCZAQ..i&docid=iKkzAiKqUJLIkM&w=848&h=566&q=Le%20Mur%20V%C3%A9g%C3%A9tal%20Marseille%202013%20%C3%A0%20C%C5%93ur&ved=2ahUKEwjz08CihKvrAhULb80KHRo0BSAQMygCegUIARCZAQ