Synopsis
The city of Nantes is a French pioneer in urban environment and air quality management. Since the beginning of the eighties the city has adopted a road system that favours cleaner forms of transport, and is equipped with an atmospheric pollution surveillance network. Nantes has successfully integrated the measures that are necessary for the protection of air quality and has taken great strides in the adoption of a positive communication approach.
The municipality has encouraged the creation of the Ecopôle association in order to promote environmental awareness, and create educational programmes which deal, in particular, with urban ecology issues such as water, air, waste and transport. An example of this are the activities organised on Wednesday 22 September 1999 by the association - in consultation with the municipality - at leisure centres as part of the national "In town without my car!" event. Since the event in 2000 took place on a Friday, educational establishments were invited to participate in the awareness programme. Ecopôle provides environmental information and resources to the general public, and has links with a large network of associations, businesses and institutions.
The air quality discovery trail was set up in Nantes in 2000 by a steering committee made up of Ecopôle, the municipality of Nantes and ADEME. The objective was to make the public more aware of air related issues and to attempt to give these issues a concrete form. Balad'air is a guided educational walk through the heart of Nantes that illustrates the effects of atmospheric pollution on the urban environment. A range of issues are covered including transport, the effect on historical buildings, effects on plants and trees, and monitoring and surveillance tools.
The project originated because it was seen that new French laws on air pollution and their associated emergency measures were being incorrectly interpreted by citizens, as the latter were largely unaware of the issues involved. Ecopôle invited input from its partnership organisations in their specialist fields from the very beginning of the project. This involved educational and scientific advice from relevant regional bodies. This collaboration enabled resources to be pooled to provide effective illustration and presentation of the "air issue" and all its various aspects.
The educational content was designed so as to be readily adaptable to different places and contexts. A test phase took place between September 2000 and June 2001, and involved only schoolchildren, certain adults and potential tour guides. The walk was advertised in schools and in local newspapers.
Target groups: children - all citizens
Fields: traffic calming / living streets - mobility advice & campaigns
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