The twelfth Urban Observation Seminar focuses on the environment in cities. This involves questioning our sources, assessing our methods of quantifying phenomena, monitoring the evolution of the various types of pollution, nature's role in the city, biodiversity etc. .. not forgetting the most fragile among which is the precarious situation of energy.
In 2007 the percentage of the urbanised population in the world exceeded 50 %, reaching 75 % in developed countries. These figures speak for quite varied realities depending on the size of cities, for example, within France alone, they refer to Courpière (4,400 inhabitants) and Paris (10,3 million inhabitants). Nevertheless, urban growth has enormous repercussions on the environment and the health and life-style of inhabitants, not to mention in the largest mega-cities in developing countries. It was decided at “Grenelle de l'Environment”, to establish a plan for “Restoring and Developing Nature in Cities”. The results of the study, presented at the end of 2010, put forward a new approach and way of thinking about nature in cities. The issues addressed deal with adapting to climate change, the place of water in the city, biodiversity, ecosystems... elements which will contribute to the wellbeing of citizens in the future.
Julien Bigorgne, environment engineer at the Paris Urbanism Agency will speak at the seminar.
Sources : CERTU site.
