While the French government has a minister in charge of ecology and one for renewable energy, those jobs are combined in Carcassonne with the Deputy Mayor for the Environment, Monsieur Arnaud Albarel. He announced several projects that the city would be undertaking this summer “in its fight for the preservation of biodiversity”. This includes redeveloping all municipal green spaces around parking lots, river and canal sides, and city buildings by using plants essential to pollinating insects, especially bees, plus instituting water-saving methods. For public involvement there are workshops to raise the awareness of young people to the importance of protecting the environment and a contest for residents to decorate their balconies and home fronts with window boxes. In addition to the positive ecological impact, these measures should ensure that Carcassonne maintains its status as a Ville Fleuri, that is, a City in Bloom.
The national organization that grants the status of one to four flowers to a community is called Le Conseil National des Villes et Villages Fleuris and despite the prominent use of “flowers” in their name and their designations, the award really centers around the quality of life. Certified locales have shown their commitment to improving the living environment, the preservation of natural resources, the enhancement of French heritage, the reclaiming of city centers, and the development of sustainable tourism all while involving the citizens in the various year-round projects.
According to Le Conseil National, the benefits of being labeled a Ville Fleuri include:
- A friendly community where inhabitants feel free to gather in parks and gardens.
- An attractive community for both residents and tourists.
- A committed community to protecting the environment.
There are 4626 villages/towns/cities in France that have received at least one flower with 276 taking top honors with 4 flowers. I’ll put a link below that connects to the national awards for last year with some beautiful photos that will let you know why they won and maybe even entice you to visit. I know that we’ve added some new destinations to our must-see list for future trips. In the gallery below are some additional scenes around Carcassonne. Enjoy the view!
https://www.villes-et-villages-fleuris.com/palmares-2021
Let's Live In France 
Hello Bill and Bob,
I sure love this. I believe our city of Augsburg sure could benefit from such an approach. Our status of the “Unesco World-Heritage Of Watermanagement” is a City Of Water, since we are between both Lech and Wertach rivers.
Often times, nowadays after the Covid years and so on, when I walk around town I see areas with uncut grass and lost opportunities for planting wildflowers ect.
I will mull this over a bit. A formal presentation and contact to Carcassonne might be needed.
Best regards, Susanne
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Great initiatives
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I never knew the details of les villes fleuris! As usual, I have learned something new and interesting from you.
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Hi Bob, This is interesting and lovely. Are they encouraging the use of native flowers in the displays? That has become the big thing around here to support insects and birds. The numbers of insects and birds have diminished greatly because people continue to use pesticides in their yards willy-nilly. I hope you guys are doing well.
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Hi Carol, yes the city does indeed encourage the use of native plants from this Mediterranean climate but even those need a little watering if they’re in window boxes. Thank you, we’re fine and there’s much more coming for the summer!
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I think that is a wonderful initiative for cities everywhere! I took several pictures of planters of beautiful foliage and flowers in Carcassonne that were along the sidewalks and streets when I was there in 2016. In Texas, here in the United States, we have a bit of a challenge due to our hot summers but I imagine there are several varieties that will tolerate the heat as well as help in the honeybee population. I keep trying new varieties of flowers but have not found any that don’t need copious amounts of water to survive our heat!
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The boxes on the street also require a bit of water so there is a crew with a watering truck that makes the rounds.
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