National programme for the greening of public spaces

The government will be developing a new model for the design of public spaces and housing to integrate more green spaces into our towns and cities. This model will be made available to local authorities and the private sector. A programme for greening public spaces will be drawn up, and other measures to enhance biodiversity will be implemented. The government will study the extent to which artificial public surfaces can be unsealed.

Greening public spaces

The government will launch a programme to green public spaces in order to enhance biodiversity, increase the resilience of localities to climate change and improve the well-being of citizens.

As far as possible, all public buildings and squares will be equipped with appropriate vegetation, whether on the roof, balconies, facades or ground. In addition, local authorities will be encouraged to implement measures aimed at enhancing biodiversity, such as greening public spaces and residential areas. To this end, the government will review the Nature Pact with the communes and adapt it if necessary.

The Ministry of the Environment is providing targeted support to municipalities through a call for projects aimed at unsealing and greening public spaces. This is a welcome initiative, and in 2025 it was extended to several areas such as schoolyards, parking lots, playgrounds and public squares. In addition, the Environment Ministry is working on a national guideline for tree planting along roads and in public spaces – an initiative driven forward by Mouvement Ecologique.

However, no concrete work is known regarding the development of a national model or general programme for greening public spaces. With considerable goodwill, it can be said that the project is currently in its initial implementation phase; however, aside from a few individual initiatives – some of which are not even yet at the implementation stage – very little real progress can be observed.