The Redevelopment Of Place d'Austerlitz

1. General information

Location and description of the intervention

City or FUA

Strasbourg

Region

Europe

Native title of the NBS intervention

Le réaménagement de la Place d’Austerlitz

Short description of the intervention

The idea of the project Redevelopment Of Place d'Austerlitz was to create an autonomous ecosystem, including plants and animals, with wild grasses and native trees that attract insects, mammals and birds (Ref. 4). The restructuring involved a whole mixture of paths, fauna, flora and riverside, all within a framework promoting urban ecology and biodiversity (Ref. 5). The project was conceived as "an archipelago of nature in the city" (Ref. 10, 12).

Address

Place d'Austerlitz
67000 Strasbourg
France

Location

The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).

Area boundary

POINT (7.7533977573851 48.578296893452)

POINT (7.7527122767962 48.577788361581)

POINT (7.7531302967626 48.577538083608)

POINT (7.7536529133212 48.577588473357)

POINT (7.7544733916332 48.578252124212)

POINT (7.7540132233521 48.578488452401)

NBS area image

Source of NBS area image

Google Earth Pro (September 25, 2020). Coordinates offer a rough approximation of extent of NBS.

Total area

10000.00m²

NBS area

2600.00m²

Type of area before implementation of the NBS

Other

Please specify “other type of area” before implementation of the NBS

Former reception area for tourist buses (Ref. 6)

Website of the intervention

http://www.strasbourg.eu/environnement-qualite-de-vie/nature-en-ville/un-parc-n…

Timeline of intervention

Start date of the intervention (planning process)

2008

Start date of intervention (implementation process)

2012

End date of the intervention

2012

Present stage of the intervention

Completed

2. Objectives of the intervention

Goals of the intervention

The use a framework of promoting urban ecology and biodiversity by restructuring a mixture of paths, fauna, flora and riverside features with the project. The ambition of this project is to allow nature to return to the city while allowing users to keep all their habits in a more pleasant and green environment. The project was designed to become a nature archipelago in the city and integrated into its surrounding environent (including a shared garden and a nearby meeting place). (5)

Quantitative targets

10,000 m2 of public space, from facade to facade (Ref. 1)
• 2,600 m2 of plantations (Ref. 1)
• 6,000 bulbs (Ref. 1)
• 46 trees, 13,160 herbaceous plants, 5,810 shrubs (including
a majority of native plants) (Ref. 1)
- 2 000m² green surface (Ref. 10) of total 9,900m² (Ref. 3)

Monitoring indicators defined

Area (m^2) of public space, from facade to facade (Ref. 1)
Area (m^2) of plantations (Ref. 1)
Number of bulbs (Ref. 1)
Number of trees, herbaceous plants, and shrubs (Ref. 1)
Area (m²) green surface (Ref. 10) total area (m²) (Ref. 3)

Sustainability challenge(s) addressed

Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)

Habitat and biodiversity restoration

Habitat and biodiversity conservation

Green space creation and/or management

Regeneration, land-use and urban development

Conversion of former industrial areas

Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)

Inclusive governance

Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)

Social interaction

Health and well-being (SDG 3)

Enabling opportunities for physical activity

Creation of opportunities for recreation

Cultural heritage and cultural diversity

Preservation of natural heritage

Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What types of conservation goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?

Species-focused

Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?

Protect and enhance urban habitats

Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems

Create new habitats

Preserve and strengthen habitat connectivity

Protect species

Undertake specific measures to protect species

Undertake specific measures to protect native species

Undertake specific measures to protect valued species

Means for conservation governance

Public engagement

What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?

Species-focused

Ecosystem-focused

What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?

Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)

Restore native species

Public engagement

Please specify "other Type of NBS project"

promoting urban ecology and biodiversity (Ref. 5).

Implementation activities

The decision was taken in 2008 to restructure the site. The strategic objectives of regeneration project derived from the consultation process were to create a new and inclusive central space in the city for the community (e.g. pedestrians, cyclists and motorists). Local associations involved in different orientations worked in connection with the project Master from October 2008 to January 2009 before the City of Strasbourg presented a plans based on inhabitants' remarks; as part of a "jury" locals, developers and officials decided between project ideas based on criteria including Environmental Quality in May 2010, (Ref. 1) picking Digitale Landscape (Ref. 3). The layout, designed by landscaper Agnès Daval and ended in June 2012 (Ref. 14). The site was inaugurated on October 28th 2012 (Ref. 11). "10,000 m2 of public space, from facade to facade
• 2,600 m2 of plantations
• 6,000 bulbs
• 46 trees, 13,160 herbaceous plants, 5,810 shrubs (including
a majority of native plants)
Department of Local Democracy and Proximity
- 2015
The approach was the reverse of most
projects: consultation helped define the
objectives from which the project was developed.
Generally, consultation takes place once
that the objectives have been set" (Ref. 1).

Type of NBS project

Creation of new green areas

3. NBS domains, ES and scale

NBS domain and interventions

Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented

Grey infrastructure featuring greens

Alley or street trees and other street vegetation

Parks and urban forests

Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces

Vegetation Type

Please specify how many trees were planted

46 (Ref. 1)

Amenities offered by the NBS

Benches and drinking water stations

Services

Expected ecosystem services delivered

Habitat and supporting services

Habitats for species

Maintenance of genetic diversity

Cultural services

Aesthetic appreciation

Recreation

Mental and physical health and wellbeing

Physical and experiential interactions with plants and animals

Social and community interactions

Scale

Spatial scale

Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level

Beneficiaries

Primary Beneficiaries

Citizens or community groups

Please specify other local relevant strategy

natural park plan: The project is included as part of the citywide Urban Natural Park plan from Strasbourg Eurometropole to renew the links between nature and the city since 2010 (Ref. 2, 4).

4. Governance and financing

Governance

Governance arrangements

Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Non-government actors

Private sector/Corporate/Business

Citizens or community groups

Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative

The initiator of the project was Strasbourg Eurometropole. The City of Strasbourg worked closely in consultation with the community's local residents, neighbourhood council and its associations (such as the Association of Inhabitants Bourse-Austerlitz-Krutenau) (Ref. 7) in establishing the objectives of the intervention, as well as its planning, management, monitoring, and playing a key role in judging over the contracted developer (Ref. 1). The entrusted landscape developer of the project was Digitale Landscape (Ref. 8, 10).

Key actors - initiating organization

Local government/municipality

Land owners

Public space owned by the city

Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)

Local government/municipality

Private sector/corporate actor/company

Citizens or community group

District/neighbourhood association

Land owners

Public space owned by the city

Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used

Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)

Dissemination of information and education

Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)

Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)

Co-management/Joint management

Citizen oversight (e.g. boards, advisory)

Citizen monitoring and review

Policy drivers

NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy

Unknown

NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan

Unknown

NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan

Yes

Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"

The project is included as part of the citywide Urban Natural Park plan from Strasbourg Eurometropole to renew the links between nature and the city since 2010 (Ref. 2, 4).

Mandatory or voluntary intervention

Voluntary (spontaneous)

Enablers

Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project

Yes

Please specify

The project is included as part of the citywide Urban Natural Park plan from Strasbourg Eurometropole to renew the links between nature and the city since 2010 (Ref. 2, 4).

Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project

Unknown

If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.

Other

Please specify other vegetation type

6,000 bulbs,13,160 herbaceous plants, 5,810 shrubs (including a majority of native plants) (Ref. 1)
mixture of paths, fauna, flora and riverside, all within a framework promoting urban ecology and biodiversity (Ref. 5)
green surfaces (Ref 3)

Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project

Unknown

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

Yes

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

€500,000 - €2,000,000

What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?

€1 839 464 (Ref. 3)

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

Please specify total cost (EUR)

€2,500,000 between Strasbourg Eurometropole (€2,000,000) and the local authority (€500,000) (Ref. 1, 4) or €1,839,464 in total excluding VAT (Ref. 3)

Source(s) of funding

Public regional budget

Public local authority budget

Type of fund(s) used

Earmarked public budget

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Business models

Green densification model

Urban offsetting model (biodiversity or water)

Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?

Public actor (e.g. municipality)

Citizens / local communities

5. Innovation

Type of innovation

Technological

Infrastructural innovation

Please specify technological innovation

The project was designed to become a nature archipelago in the city and integrated into its surrounding environment, including the area's shared garden and a nearby meeting place (Ref. 5, 10, 12). The Redevelopment Of Place d'Austerlitz won the French Institute of Roads, Streets and Infrastructures for Mobility contest on "Infrastructure for mobility, biodiversity and landscape" in 2015 (Ref. 1). The Institute aims to respond in a homogeneous way to technical or strategic problems and to change the heritage of infrastructures and public spaces towards sustainable design and better management, as well as greater optimization of their use. These changes are aimed at in order to create a sustainable and suitable habitat for the locale's biodiversity (Ref. 13).

Novelty level of the innovation

Unknown

Please specify novelty level of the innovation

unknown

Replicability/Transferability

Unknown

Please specify Replicability/Transferability

unknown

6. Evaluation and learning

Impacts, benefits

Environmental impacts

Green space and habitat

Increased green space area

Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems

Reduced biodiversity loss

Increased number of species present

Increased spread of native/heirloom/open-pollinated seed

Description of environmental benefits

Green space and habitat:
-Increased green space area/Increased number of species present: The project improved the site's green capacity by introducing 2000m² of green surface (Ref. 10) of the site's total of 9,900m² (Ref. 3) which was inhabited by 46 trees, herbaceous 13160, and 5810 shrubs, including a majority of native plants (Ref. 1).
-Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems (local habitats for local species)
-Reduction of biodiversity loss/species present/native seed: "Each circle-garden hosts a range of plants with a large share given to native species. The square weaves a harmonious island of biodiversity in the urban environment" (Ref. 8).

Economic impacts

Unknown

Description of economic benefits

unknown

Type of reported impacts

Achieved impacts

Indicators

The project improved the site's green capacity by introducing 2000m² of green surface (Ref. 10) of the site's total of 9,900m² (Ref. 3) which was inhabited by 46 trees, herbaceous 13160, and 5810 shrubs, including a majority of native plants (Ref. 1).

Environmental, social and economic impacts

Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)

Analysis of specific impact categories

Job creation: The NBS created ...

No information available

Please specify other method used to evaluate the impacts of NBS

After opening Austerlitz, a number of residents (who participated in the jury) volunteered to participate, with muncipaux agents, in a monitoring committee to identify possible improvements, which meets about three times a year (Ref. 1). Feedback from the Association of Inhabitants Bourse-Austerlitz-Krutenau on the project can be found on their website (Ref. 7).

Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?

Yes

Please specify the negative impacts

There is criticism that the project does not go far enough "While the development of the square has sparked heated debates, most of the players seem to have integrated its green dimension, to the point of finding it insufficient" (Ref. 4). "he benches, arranged in lines, prevent people from discussing between them. They would have liked to make it a place of life, with tables for eating, ping-pong tables, and putting activities there" (Ref. 4).

COVID-19 pandemic

No specific information available as of September 25, 2020. Stay at home orders were 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

Conduct a baseline survey before and after NBS implementation

Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS

Questionnaire surveys / online surveys

Other

Where can this data be accessed? Please include a link to a report or web-page.

http://atlas.naturvation.eu/sites/default/files/nbs/files/place_austerlitz_vers…

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

Yes

Mode(s) of citizen involvement in evaluation/assessment

Online Forum

Please specify other modes of citizen involvement in evaluation/assessment

Online Forum (4, 10) Consultation (4) From May 2011 to June 2012, public works were carried out. Twice a month, a public meeting was organized site to founir to residents information about the evolution of the site and allow them to ask questions. On 2 June 2012, the new Place d'Austerlitz was opened to the public. (1) Citizens have expressed grievances with certain aspects of the project (e.g. lack of green, metal instead of wooden artifaces). (4)

Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation

Unknown

Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment

Yes

Please specify

7. Sources

References

Web links relevant to the intervention

(2) AN URBAN NATURAL PARK FOR STRASBOURG

(3) Development of the Place d'Austerlitz in Strasbourg

(4) Successful completion of a dozen renovations of seats in Strasbourg

(5) Redevelopment of Place d'Austerlitz

(6) STRASBOURG - Development of places and green spaces: THE PLACE OF AUSTERLIT…

(7) Archives for the category Place d'Austerlitz

(8) Place d'Austerlitz, Strasbourg, 2012

(9) THE OUTDOOR PUBLIC SPACES OF THE MALRAUX PENINSULA

(10) Strasbourg - Aménagement et gestion des espaces publics

(11) The Point of Convergence in Strasbourg

(12) Archipelago of biodiversity, the place (of Austerlitz Strasbourg) of natur…

(13) The IDRRIM

Documents relevant to the intervention

Attachment	Size
(1) Place Austerlitz, an innovative collaboration project for a symbol Sustainable City (2.8 MB)	2.8 MB
(14) Visit # 1: MICRO-FLOWERING GARDENS AND CITIZEN Visits to the center of gardens and green spaces in which locals get involve (3.71 MB)	3.71 MB
(15) StammTisch du 27 novembre 2008 (300.56 KB)	300.56 KB

List of references

(1) Scheek, Luc. Gigleux, Céline. Loeffler, Elke. and Terrien, Olivier. [no date]. La place d’Austerlitz, une concertation innovante pour un projet symbole de la ville durable. (Document attached).
(2) Strasbourg Metropole. [no date]. UN PARC NATUREL URBAIN POUR STRASBOURG. Available at: http://www.strasbourg.eu/environnement-qualite-de-vie/nature-en-ville/un-parc-naturel-urbain-pour-strasbourg (Website not available in 2020).
(3) Digitale Paysage. (2012). Aménagement de la place d’Austerlitz à Strasbourg. Available at: http://www.digitalepaysage.com/spip.php?page=projet&id_article=71 (Website not available in 2020).
(4) Bross, Alexis. (2013). Ratés et succès d’une dizaine de rénovations de places à Strasbourg. Available at: http://www.rue89strasbourg.com/dizaine-places-renovation-stasbourg-52616 (Accessed: September 25, 2020).
(5) Lollier ingeniere. [no date]. Ancienne gare routière des cars de tourisme de Strasbourg, la place d'Austerlitz attendait son réaménagement. Available at: http://www.lollier.com/amenagements-urbains/reamenagement-de-la-place-d-austerlitz/40 (Website not available in 2020).
(6) Ville-Sante. [no date]. STRASBOURG – L’aménagement des places et espaces verts: LA PLACE D’AUSTERLITZ, UN NOUVEAU CŒUR DE QUARTIER. Available at: http://www.villes-sante.com/actions-des-villes/activite-physique-mobilites/strasbourg-lamenagement-des-places-et-espaces-verts/ (Accessed: September 25, 2020).
(7) AHBAK. [no date]. Archives pour la catégorie Place d’Austerlitz. Available at: http://www.ahbak.org/category/place-dausterlitz/ (Accessed: September 25, 2020).
(8) Thierry Muller. (2012). Place d'Austerlitz, Strasbourg, 2012. Available at: http://www.espace-vert.fr/ref_98_-place-austerlitz-strasbourg.html (Accessed: September 25, 2020).
(9) Strasbourg Metropole. [no date]. LES ESPACES PUBLICS EXTÉRIEURS DE LA PRESQU'ÎLE MALRAUX. Available at:http://www.strasbourg.eu/developpement-rayonnement/urbanisme-logement-amenagement/projets-urbains/deux-rives/malraux/espaces-publics-malraux (Accessed: September 25, 2020).
(10) PSS. (2010). Strasbourg - Aménagement et gestion des espaces publics. Available at: http://www.pss-archi.eu/forum/viewtopic.php?id=31924 (Accessed: September 25, 2020).
(11) Petit patrimoine. [no date]. Le Point de Convergence à Strasbourg (67). Available at: http://www.petit-patrimoine.com/fiche-petit-patrimoine.php?id_pp=67482_86 (Accessed: September 25, 2020).
(12) Ministère de l’Écologie. (2015). Archipel de biodiversité, la place (d'Austerlitz Strasbourg) de la nature en ville. Available at: https://www.1000paysages.gouv.fr/archipel-de-biodiversite-la-place-dausterlitz-strasbourg-de-la-nature-en-ville (Website not available in 2020).
(13) IDRRM. [no date]. Un lieu d'échanges et de convergence. Available at: https://www.idrrim.com/connaitre-idrrim/ (Accessed: September 25, 2020).
(14) Communication au Conseil Municipal. (11) [no author]. (2012). Visite n° 1 : MICRO-JARDINS ET FLEURISSEMENT CITOYEN Visites au centre-ville de jardins et d’espaces verts dans lesquels les habitants s’impliquent. (Document attached).
(15) Goetz, Christiane.(2008). StammTisch du 27 novembre 2008: Petit Glacier, 20h/22h30. (Document attached).

Comments and notes

Comments

2020 comment:
Different surface areas are indicated in different sources (Ref. 1, 3, 8, 10).

Pictures of the NBS

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Public Images

https://www.rue89strasbourg.com/dizaine-places-renovation-stasbourg-52616