Summary

This end-of-study project deals with the subject of the low-carbon transition of cities through the case of the city of Lille and its Low Carbon Urban Strategy. The rapid evolution of climate change is disrupting our way of conceiving the city. In France, cities are home to 80% of the population and are responsible for 71% of GHG emissions. In addition to being a source of pollution, cities face many challenges due to rising temperatures and natural hazards. To address this threat, cities are committed to taking measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change in new urban projects

The case of the city of Lille is edifying; its industrial past, which has given it an intense density and mineralization, makes it extremely vulnerable to climate disruption. Its characteristics contribute to the discomfort felt during hot weather: amplification of urban heat islands, floods, droughts, pollution rates higher than normal, the city of Lille has a series of vulnerabilities and becomes a danger for its inhabitants. For several years now, the city of Lille has been developing a Low Carbon Urban Strategy that proposes a collaborative reflection on the notion of a low-carbon city with all the actors of the construction industry. The strategy is based on the drafting of an Act of Commitment drawn up in part by the city and the developers, landlords and planners. This document commits each signatory to respect a certain number of commitments in the design of all new operations in the city. The Act is composed of 60 "basic" commitments that must be respected by the signatories and 22 "performance" commitments that the operators can choose from a minimum of 4. They have been designed around 5 themes: adaptation to climate change, low-carbon materials and the circular economy, energy and water, biodiversity and sustainable mobility.

How can we encourage operators to respect these commitments in an Act that is based on voluntary action and is not enforceable by law?

During this internship, I proposed the creation of various design tools that will be made available to operators. For this purpose, I created a reference system composed of pedagogical sheets associated with each commitment. This research and popularization work allowed me to present the requirements specific to each commitment and to propose advice and good practices to the operators in order to help them to improve their practices. The aim was to guide them on low-carbon design techniques and to raise their awareness on certain environmental issues.

Finally, I had the opportunity to take part in the realization of collaborative workshops between the city council and the operators to confront them with the Act of commitment. These workshops allowed us to respond to their concerns and technical questions, they were an opportunity to discuss themes such as the Collaborative City and to collectively imagine the evolution of the Act of Engagement.