2023-05-13 07:30:00
Mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc presented 30 measures to cool the pink city in summer. Among them, shade structures which will be installed this year.
Canopies, trees, soil dewatering… The mayor of Toulouse, Jean-Luc Moudenc (various right), presented a plan on Thursday May 11 to adapt his city to heat waves, which are set to increase with global warming. These are ten million additional euros invested, in addition to initiatives already launched. “priorityexplains the aedile to the Figaro, it is to put in place measures applicable from this summer for the most fragile, while initiating a more systemic transformation of the city for the future.»
The most visible change for Toulouse residents: the installation of shade structures above the streets and squares exposed to the sun. Several devices will be tested, from the stretched canvases prevalent in historically hot cities like Seville to a mysterious – and still secret – “inflatable shade house“. The objective, between now and the end of the summer, is tosee what worksfor future deployments, specifies the mayor. The most emblematic will be these “ribbonswhich will cover rue Alsace-Lorraine, the main pedestrian and shopping street in the centre. These facilities will be temporary, set up from June to September.
Place du Capitole transformed
Jean-Luc Moudenc also wants to tackle another symbol, by bringing a little shade to the very mineral Place du Capitole, epicenter of the pink city. But the task is not easy, becausethe underground car park and the protected visibility on the facade of the town hall generate a lot of constraints“. This point of the project is therefore still in the making, but should take the form of “two large plant pots, placed on the sides so as not to obstruct the view, and a shade system whose fixing method is still under study».
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From this summer, Toulouse will extend the hours of swimming pools, parks, museums, media libraries and leisure bases. So many places of freshness which the inhabitants will be able to enjoy for longer. “A simple measure, underlines the mayor, even if it induces additional manpower.» A new nautical base will open in July on the Lac de la Reynerie, a popular district, with inflatable games, kayaking and water games. The anti-pollution transport ticket, at three euros a day, will also be deployed on heat wave red alert days.
Painted roofs and colorful frescoes
In the longer term, the town hall wishes to continue the greening of the city and the dewatering of the soil. The objective of 100,000 trees planted by 2030, to which Jean-Luc Moudenc had already committed, is still in sight. From working-class neighborhoods to the city center, and even in the alleys of the cemetery, a new mantra will now prevail: “Demineralise wherever possible.»
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Toulouse is also setting itself the challenge of improving its albedo, the reflection of the sun’s rays which allows it to gain a few degrees rather than storing heat. Lighter pavements for pedestrians, new resins, colored frescoes on squares paved in black… Several solutions will be tested, including repainting the roof of a building in the metropolis in white. An albedo criterion will also be integrated into public orders.
As in Paris, the pink city wants to tackle schools. Of the 209 in Toulouse, some, according to the mayor, “are very poorly insulated» and poorly adapted, especially the oldest ones. Thirty “oasis courseplants are targeted in 2030, and theair blowersshould be generalized in all classrooms by 2026. On June 1, a suggestion box will also open so that residents can help shape the future of Toulouse in summer, so that it remains livable, even during a heat wave.
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