“Il faut cultiver notre Jardin [We must tend our garden],” Voltaire famously penned in his 1759 masterpiece, Candide.That bucolic phrase has travelled through the centuries, interpreted as an encouragement to tend to one’s own affairs. Yet, as humanity faces escalating heatwaves, floods and a multitude of social upheavals, the Age of Enlightenment, which Voltaire represented, has come under scrutiny. Back then the natural world was seen as something to be tamed. But we are part of nature, not apart from it. So if we’re serious about a climate-resilient future, nurturing the entire ecosystem seems to be a logical move.

With its Haussmannian vernacular, pitched roofs and bustling boulevards, Paris might not seem the obvious candidate for the gold medal in sustainability – but there is hurdle on the horizon; Paris could hit summer temperatures as high as 50c by 2050 according to a recent study.

The French capital offers remarkably few opportunities for nature to thrive. With only 1,883 hectares of publicly accessible green space – less than 9 sq m per capita – Paris trails far behind Vienna, Rome and London (the World Health Organization says the ideal is 50sq m). But plants still push their way through the concrete, and with them come ideas of almost revolutionary potential. We survey the city to find the places where green ideas are taking root.

---

Nature Urbaine

Spanning 14,000 sq m, Nature Urbaine, or NU-Paris, is perched atop a pavilion in the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre. It is the largest rooftop urban farm in Europe. Fruit and vegetables are grown using a mix of hydroponics and aeroponics: coconut fibre is used to retain water and nutrients, while white, guttering-like structures tap the fresh air to allow plants to grow without soil. Roots are constantly misted with a nutrient solution for more precise control of the growing conditions. It’s a closed-loop system, recycling nearly 90 per cent of water. Six to eight tonnes of produce are harvested every season.

Strawberries dominate. “We’ve planted 20,000 seedlings,” says Flore Canonge, gardener and head of learning at Nu-Paris. Elsewhere, you’ll find tomatoes, aubergines, chillies and Armenian cucumbers. “We aim to offer a diverse array to satisfy the culinary needs of our clients,” says Canonge. Those include local gourmet spots such as Le Perchoir – sharing the same rooftop – and prestigious hotels such as Le Meurice.

Fresh produce is mostly delivered by foot, cargo bikes or public transport. Excess is collected by Re-Belle, an organisation aiding people’s reintegration into the workforce, transforming crops into jams and chutneys. “Anything that remains is composted, contributing to the virtuous cycle we strive to maintain,” says Canonge.

Is this a silver bullet to rising food insecurity? “Rather than a standalone solution, we see it as a powerful tool for reconnecting city dwellers with the origins of their food,” says Canonge. Both the corporate crowd and high-school pupils flock in to learn the art of growing everything from radishes to courgettes. Get in touch for a guided tour or community garden slots.
nu-paris.com

---

Faculty of Pharmacy

A verdant oasis in the heart of Paris? This botanical haven belongs to the Faculty of Pharmacy, Universite Paris Cite, overlooking the entrance to the Zadkine Museum in the 6th arrondissement.

Founded in 1882, the enclave serves primarily educational and research purposes. “Students collect plants for identification. Occasionally, the pharmacognosy laboratory might request samples for extraction and analysis,” says Florence Chapeland-Leclerc, professor of botany and mycology in charge of the premises.

Here, nature isn’t admired for its aesthetics. “Most current medicines originate from plants or fungi. Efforts molecules, particularly for the development of new drugs,” she says.

The stakes lie in striking a balance between ensuring respect for traditional knowledge and sustainable practices while probing for potentially beneficial substances. “Our goal is to study them, under agreements signed with the countries concerned, of course, so that we can understand whether there really is an active compound of interest.”

The academic premises aren’t always open, but free guided tours and group visits are held regularly. To keep everything in place, head gardener Olivier Babiar indulges in his favourite activities: composting and propagating cuttings. “I have no favourite plants,” he tells Monocle, adding that all plants are his favourite. Naturally.

Only a fraction of the 400,000 known plant species have been studied so far. “A vast array of plants or fungi are still unknown. We estimate that the reservoir is extraordinary,” says Chapeland-Leclerc. An antidote to our ignorance of nature may be hidden somewhere too.

---

Pepins production

Surrounded by a freight railway, the perpetually jammed Boulevard Peripherique and the river Seine, Bercy­ Charenton is a seemingly overlooked pocket of land with an industrial feel. But plans are under way for a new eco-quartier, a mixed-use development with 45 per cent greenery. Before that happens, time to play with the large brownfield site on the disused Petite Ceinture rail tracks.

Overlooked by Jean Nouvel’s imposing Duo Towers, two raised beds are brimming with cabbages, verbascums and passion flowers. Part of the Berey Beaucoup, it has become the latest outpost for Pepins production, a collective running neighbourhood nurseries or pepinieres de quartier.“The idea was to create a community around urban gardening, and to show that anyone can grow plants,” says project manager Eloise Bloit. With food prices soaring, Pepins production proposes a solution. “Eating fruit and vegetables has become expensive,” she tells Monocle. “So how can we produce them for less without compromising on the quality?”

Besides their Bercy site, other locations include a garden tucked behind a stone wall at the Belleville cemetery, or greenhouses nestled in a block of flats in the bohemian I1th arrondissement.There’s a social dimension, too: the nurseries serve as a work­ reintegration scheme for those who struggle to return to employment. “We like diversity in both people and plants. There’s plenty to cultivate,” says Bloit, hinting that the potential extends beyond mints and basils. The produce – predominantly medicinal herbs, edible plants, ornamental and wild flora native to the Paris region – is organically grown using recycled materials and peat-free soil made from leaf compost sourced from the suburbs.

Open days are regular, with plants available only to association members – options start at €2 per year.
pepinsproduction.fr

---

Merci Raymond

“Paris is one of the world’s most densely populated cities. And the only way to embrace this, especially in the era of global warming, is to create space for greenery,” says Hugo Meunier, founder of Merci Raymond. Originally trained as a lawyer, he named his venture in homage to his nature-loving grandfather. At first responding to the millennial house-plant craze by greening offices and bistros with monsteras and fiddle leaf figs, nearly a decade later, their activities range from community gardens in banlieues to urban-redevelopment projects  in the corporate La Defense.

“We work on streets, in the courtyards and especially on rooftops,” Meunier tells Monocle. Edible gardens, such as the one at the Hotel des Grands Boulevards, are quickly becoming their clients’ favourites. Before the herbs make their way into the culinary creations of the hotel’s celebrated chef, Giovanni Passerini, they allow the guests to enjoy the perks of the urban version of farm-to­ table while attracting bees and butterflies.

Merci Raymond’s commissions include Pare de la Villette landscaping overhaul, becoming the French National Agency for Urban Renovation’s official advisors on urban agriculture-related matters. They have also taken part in the Pavillon d’ Arsenal’s Natures Urbaines exhibition.

For Meunier, rethinking public space is about fostering a relationship between people and plants. “The idea is that instead of seeing an empty space every morning and avoiding it, people should reclaim it and install a garden – and host birthday parties there.”
merciraymond.fr

---

Roofscapes

“Every year the hot climate shifts away from the equator. But the cities are staying put. So they have to face temperatures vastly different from those they were built for,” says architect Olivier Faber. While visually striking, the iconic zinc-pitched roofs absorb substantial heat, exceeding 80C in summer and further exacerbating the urban heat island effect. “Zinc is both our greatest asset and our biggest thermal challenge,” Faber tells Monocle.

He and colleagues Eytan Levi and Tim Cousin propose an ingenious solution. Instead of dismantling what is effectively a French national treasure, they designed a modular, fully reversible structure that envelops the roofs in gardens full of lush greenery.

The trio met as undergraduates in Lausanne but reconvened in Paris to consider climate-adaptation issues; the Roofscapes studio was established in 2021. This spring they got the go-ahead from the Mairie de Paris, collecting several prestigious awards alongside.

Currently, a 1oo sq m pilot is under way at the Academie du Climat, Paris’s official climate education agency. A platform made from lightweight wood minimally contacts the building, blending seamlessly with existing rooftops. “This allows us to preserve the traditional craftsmanship of zinc workers, crucial for adapting to the new climate. Simultaneously, we create a space where both humans and other beings can thrive.”

For Faber, greener cities won’t save us from climate disaster unless they’re designed with a multi-species perspective in mind. “We need to give power back to non-humans and learn how they live,” he says.
roofscapes.studio