Aubervilliers is a city just North of Paris, with a population of 90,000. It is a dense urban area (15,500 inhabitants/km²), with 40% of the population living under poverty level, and the same proportion of immigrants. Having experienced the difficulty in feeding its population during Covid lockdowns, the city decided to support a project whose goal was to imagine how it could more efficiently provide for its population in the coming decades.

How it was done

The project was initiated by Point de Rassemblement (Rallying Point), a local nonprofit working on collective modes of adaptation to ecological upheavals, and the Paris School of Urban Planning. Nine students participated in the project. Their work gave birth to a detailed description of how Aubervilliers had become a "Feeding City" in 2124, and what it took to get there.

What they imagined

The objective of transforming Aubervilliers into a "Feeding City" became the cornerstone upon which all other urban transformations were built.

The "One-Third City"

The goal was set to dedicate one third of the city's surface to producing food. This included large areas dedicated to farming, smaller urban farms in former courtyards, as well as "agricultural streets" bordered with vegetable patches and fruit trees, and covered with trellises that provide shade while allowing other plants and fruits to grow. The cemetery itself also became an orchard.

Farming on several former urban, or even industrial surfaces, required a major, and long, decontamination process. Several techniques were used, from mycoremediation (fungi) to phycoremediation (algae), as well as planting flax and hemp which also provided material for building construction or isolation.

There was no meat production, and meat consumption was way down.

A new urban metabolism

The canal and its surrounding buildings were repurposed for food logistics. "Cyclohubs" were established in each neighbourhood for food distribution. Food waste was reduced by several means. A local currency was created. Even human excreta were used for compost.

Citizen participation

Children and adults alike received (mostly hands-on) food education. Citizens were encouraged to donate one day a week for locally useful work, including on farms and vegetable patches. Collective decisions, from the most local to the municipal level, encouraged participation.

Transformed mobilities

Cars were progressively banned from most of the city, except for traversing roads as well as some axes important for urban logistics. Walking and cycling became the most common forms of transport, aside from public transport to move around the Paris region.

Social justice

These transformations needed to be implemented with social justice in mind. Acknowledging that local production could only provide for 10,000 out of 90,000 inhabitants, it was directed primarily towards vulnerable populations and collective catering (schools, offices, hospitals, the local prison...)

To avoid gentrification, rents were capped, low-income housing was subsidised, and all building renovations gave priority to their former residents.