Refreshing the city of Toulouse, France

Key Learnings

• Addressing heat: The plan “Toulouse + fraiche” was developed to address the increasing heat island effect (i.e., in summer, the city area can be four to six degrees warmer than the surroundings). It outlines 30 experimental measures to cool the city and enhance the quality of stay during a heat wave. All measures provide short-term and effective solutions to reduce heat stress, while testing provides the basis for a long-term action plan.
• Choosing the right options: Experimenting, monitoring using Earth Observation data and other relevant measurement tools and evaluating the different options before applying them widely contributes to choose the most effective option for upscaling. The local circumstances need to be considered, as there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
• Stakeholder involvement: The support of citizens is an important factor for the successful implementation of the adaptation actions, to increase the level of acceptance of the measures and encourage the adoption of new behavioural habits.

Summary

To face increasing heat, Toulouse developed a comprehensive plan that centres around implementing multiple actions such as revegetation, shading, soil desealing, better water management, lighter surfaces, and adapting public services and activities. It is based on deployment in test areas before rolling out widely. While some actions counteract the Urban Heat Island effect by cooling the area, others focus on decreasing vulnerability and enhancing the quality of life during a heat wave. The plan's success was determined by the support of the citizens involved in a public participation process.

Contact

Toulouse is eager to share and learn from other cities that have implemented a refreshing action plan and/or other mitigation and adaptation measures:

Stéphane Bequet, Project officer “Toulouse + fraîche”, stephane [dot] bequettoulouse-metropole [dot] fr (stephane[dot]bequet[at]toulouse-metropole[dot]fr)