Bègles, France
An integrated environmental and social development approach

Summary

Confronted with a socially and physically fragmented territory (dispersed housing, industrial wasteland, and abandoned natural spaces), Bègles put into place a global cross-functional policy aiming to give new cohesion to the town through social action and improvement operations to public and natural spaces. To this end, the town signed in succession a City Contract and an Environmental Charter. Various operations in line with local sustainable development have been carried out: regeneration of a social housing neighbourhood; improvement of the banks of the Garonne and a major natural space; creation of an association for integration through economics; creation of an arts centre; reinforcing local democracy procedures; and creation of a platform for services to the public, etc.

Objectives

To strengthen social cohesion, fighting urban exclusion; to involve the inhabitants in the future of their town; to value and protect the natural and built heritage, and to reclaim public spaces. The Town intends to establish an overall planned policy aiming to reinforce the social fabric through social development and the environment. For this purpose, a City Project with long-term aims was established in 1995.

State of the project

The actions mentioned have been started but need to be pursued and completed.

Context

Bègles is a town of 23,000 inhabitants, to the South of Bordeaux on the left bank of the river Garonne. Its space and social life tend to be strongly structured around neighbourhoods, each of them with a specific history of social practices and habits inherited from the industrial era. This strong identity lost its structure with the disappearance of the traditional industrial fabric, urbanisation and the creation of infrastructures, such as the loop around the Bordeaux conurbation. Bègles features dispersed suburban low-rise housing, despite the building of several social housing neighbourhoods, the extensive industrial wasteland and abandoned natural spaces. There has been a break in the cohesion of the urban and social fabric. Urban ghettos have formed in the neighbourhoods with degraded or isolated housing. Bègles had also been cut off from its river, with the disappearance of water related activities.

Strategy

Bègles therefore decided to implement a global policy in order to fight exclusion, to improve the living environment, to exploit its natural potential and to reclaim its public spaces. In 1993 the Town adopted a City Contract (topics: economic action and insertion, cultural action, restructuring the neighbourhoods, improvement of the living environment), and then in 1994 an Environment Charter (topics: urban development, drainage, traffic, waste treatment, industrial hazards, local democracy). These two documents form a long term action plan combining social, economic and environmental considerations. The various planned actions concern harmonious and balanced development of all the neighbourhoods in the commune by making use of the potential of each one.

Activities

Bègles launched into reclaiming both its public spaces and its natural heritage. The town council has implemented a traffic scheme which gives priority in a number of zones to shared traffic (30 zones, sharing the public highway between several users: pedestrians, cyclists, motorists). It has also undertaken actions to appropriate the river, both economically and environmentally. The Town has allowed the siting along the river of sewage works, and an environmental technical complex ensuring water and household waste treatment from part of the Bordeaux Urban Joint Authority. Natural spaces have been developed for walkers.

In terms of fighting exclusion, Bègles has undertaken the regeneration of the Monmousseau neighbourhood: the demolition and rebuilding of mixed housing; upgrading the living environment; developing high quality public spaces; installation of facilities; creation of a children's drop-in centre, and execution of the first phase of family allotments. In terms of integration through economics, in 1995 the town council encouraged the creation of an association for social integration, "Arcins Environnement Service", which among other things maintains the banks of the Garonne. In terms of economic regeneration, Bègles managed a complete regeneration project for the central square of a neighbourhood by siting a set of services to the public (Family allowance office, jobs terminal, training centre, and mediator etc.).

Two spaces opening up the Monmousseau neighbourhood are to be upgraded. The lake on the Plaine des Sports should house permanent activities (sailing school and water sports facilities). On the wasteland at the entrance to the town, it is proposed to reconstitute an island with a landscaped space made up of family allotments.

The town has also led an active cultural policy with the intention of recreating social links. It has given its support to the creation of the "Site de la Création Franche”, now a municipal museum, which houses world famous collections of "art brut" (naive art) in an typical old Bègles house. Finally, it has consolidated its action in the field of local democracy by creating a youth town council, an elders' council and district assemblies that bring together the neighbourhood committees and are the link between them and the town council.

Partners

The various contractual politics mean that the town is committed to a strong partnership with the various agencies contributing to municipal actions: the State, Ademe (Agency for the environment and energy control), local authorities, etc. The town council has created within its own administration a reflection group on topics such as the environment, urban planning, housing, social action and local development; the group is made up of three people who hold responsibility in these fields, and is under the co-ordination of a project leader. To complement this cell, various steering groups have been set up. Finally, all projects involve the inhabitants closely through more or less restricted meetings. For example, the regeneration of the Monmousseau area was thought through and conducted in consultation with the residents. The action on the neighbourhood was recognised and supported by numerous institutional partners: The Bordeaux Urban Joint Authority, the General Council, Regional Council, the European Union, the State.

Outcomes and impact

The policy for reclaiming the Garonne banks led to the restoration of the towpath and traditional fishermen's huts. A harbour with 80 moorings, housing an industrial area and a "Maison de la Garonne” are also planned in the regeneration plan for the area. The last phase of work for the Monmousseau neighbourhood will start 1998 and should be completed in 1999. The insertion association, whose creation was supported by the municipality, is offering qualifying training in environmental trades to some fifteen people.

Obstacles and difficulties

The implementation of a global cross-functional policy comes against the mechanisms imposed by contractual policies. Financial systems are devised in such a way as to privilege the sectoral management of the applications. It is also difficult for Bègles to pursue singlehandedly an ambitious social development and environment policy because other authorities are also responsible in certain areas (training and social issues: Regional Council and General Council; waste, drainage, highways: the Bordeaux Urban Joint Authority).

Essential points

The local authority is aware of the results of the actions put into place upstream (restructuring the Monmousseau neighbourhood), but will only get to know the overall results when all the actions have been completed. Intermediate results have allowed the projects to be validated and adjusted. The local authority reckons that, after operational phases that may appear unconnected at first, a global vision relevant to sustainable development is being put into place.

This action programme was developed from extremely full diagnostic surveys made in 1991. It relates to a sustainable development plan insofar as it is set in the long term, promoting social, urban and environmental development, and it leaves plenty of room for local democracy.

Additional information

Monsieur Christian Merlette
Chef de Cabinet
Mairie de Bègles
BP 153
33321 Bègles

Telephone : 33 05 56 49 88 11
Fax : 33 05 56 49 23 79 E-mail : n.mamère@mairie-bègles.fr

Fact sheet drawn from a summary report by the 'Association 4D' (Dossiers et Débats pour le Développement Durable [Issues and Debates on Sustainable Development]) dated March 1996 : Les villes françaises et le développement durable. [French cities and sustainable development] summary report, case studies and data sheets. B. Duhamel, C. Emelianoff, L. Héland, C. Menneghin and J. P. Piéchaud. pp. 68-72

This case study was published in Les villes françaises pour le développement durable. [French cities for sustainable development] United Nations Conference on human settlement. Habitat II. Cities summit, Istanbul, 3-14 June 1996. Book published by the Ministry for the Environment in June 1996. pp. 88-91

Acknowledgements

The text for this project summary was developed by l'association 4D (Dossiers et débats pour le développement durable), Paris - E-mail:association4d@globenet.org, 1999.