Faced with increasing urban sprawl and the reduction of agricultural and forest areas, the Park is taking action. His mission ? Promote sustainable urban planning and land sobriety. It thus supports balanced development policies, between respect for the specificities of the 63 municipalities in its territory, natural resources and the quality of life of the inhabitants.
For this, the Park is well supported: it works hand in hand with communities, the Department, the Region and local stakeholders. Thanks to awareness-raising actions and its expertise, it helps elected officials and public or private project leaders make the most sustainable decisions. And here are the two main themes on which he intervenes!
The development and revision of planning and town planning documents
As an Associated Public Person, the Montagne de Reims Regional Natural Park cooperates with elected officials on the development and revision of town planning documents. Thus, its goal is to ensure that they are compatible with the Charter in force.
This support encourages the implementation of a controlled land development, allowing us to protect and promote its many treasures: its landscapes, the urban morphologies of its villages, its architectural identity, its vernacular heritage, its biodiversity...
Beyond this regulatory aspect, the Park is positioned upstream of the creation of town planning documents. In other words, it advises communities throughout their process by informing them of the specificities of the territory. To do this, the Park is carrying out the “ Bring to your attention »: this document identifies the strategic elements to be preserved, enhanced or restored. Each of them must then be transcribed in the future town planning and planning document (municipal map, PLU and PLUi, SCoT).
The Montagne de Reims, a land of sobriety
Land artificialization, a major issue
A large part of the villages of the Montagne de Reims are located on the edge of the AOC Champagne or near the forest massif. Over the years, this location has largely contributed to containing their expansion and preserving certain traditional urban forms, such as dense and compact villages. However, this particular context led to urbanization at the expense of agricultural land and, more recently, forest edges.
However, the increase in land artificialization can have ecological consequences significant, including accelerating the loss of biodiversity or reducing the functionality of agricultural land. She may also have socio-economic impacts, with the amplification of natural risks and the increase in expenses linked to networks.
In this context of changes (climatic, social, etc.), the State wishes to protect natural, agricultural and forest areas by establishing a objective Zero Net Artificialization : this is provided for by the Biodiversity Plan and translated into the Climate and resilience law of August 22, 2021. This progressive reduction in artificialization is territorialized on a subregional scale through the SRADDET. The Park Charter must therefore be compatible with the rules set by this planning document.
An open-air experimental laboratory
The preservation of land is a value anchored in the territory of the Park since its creation. However, it is necessary to regulate consumption more strongly to protect natural, agricultural and forestry areas, and maintain the major balances in the occupation of space.
From this perspective, the territory of the Park represents a a true laboratory of good practices and experiments for the EPCI, the Department, the Region and the State! It allows them to look for solutions, but also to test tools and approaches to co-build the villages of tomorrow.
These experiments will be carried out in the Park, in particular to:
- Help elected officials implement a circular urban planning, respectful of the identity of the territory, through Sustainable Urban Planning Workshops;
- Develop projects de-waterproofing in public spaces, schoolyards or even car parks, in order to create islands of freshness in villages;
- Restoring the good ecological status of soils through land remediation operations renaturation, in villages or in natural, agricultural and forest areas;
- Support municipalities that wish to implement conservation projects urban requalification from the heart of their village;
- Create some eco-districts in the villages.
Enough to build more sustainable urban planning in Montagne de Reims!
What if we continued together?
