European Green Capital Award - Winning cities - Grenoble 2022

Located in the Alps, east of the Rhone valley corridor, Greater Grenoble is called the ‘Alps capital’ due to its size. The city has a population of approximately 158,000 and is situated at the junction of three glaciated valleys shaped by the Rivers Isère, Drac and Romanche and surrounded by three alpine massifs - Chartreuse, Belledonne and Vercors.

With a terrain that limits urban sprawl, Grenoble is now the third densest city in France (outside the Ile-de-France region) with 8,861 inhabitants per km². This constraint has become an asset: fully urbanised, the city has no choice but to rely on urban regeneration and rehabilitation, efficient public transport and quality public spaces to renew itself. This is highlighted by the urban regeneration programmes, and the transformation of brownfields into eco-neighbourhoods. The city is an important research, technology, and innovation centre with a high proportion of research and development (R&D) jobs and has a mix of traditional and high-tech industries including renewable energy.

Due to its topography Grenoble has had to make the most of the limited green space within the city, and is dedicated to improving the city's living environment through the use of green areas, implementation of an ambitious urban planning protocol, and through the enhancement of urban gardening. The municipality encourages the opening of private gardens and vertical greening, has an ambitious tree planting programme, and makes unused areas available to residents to create small gardens. The city has been unsealing, regenerating and actively building new parks for the last 15 years. Grenoble’s eco-neighbourhoods have won national awards, and the Flaubert eco-neighbourhood is a great example for other cities, and a model in the development of cities of tomorrow.

The city is very aware of climate impacts and has set clear ambitions and targets to become more sustainable, and already has achieved a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions between 2005 and 2016, and demonstrated that reductions in transport is decoupling from population growth. Grenoble is working towards a 50% reduction by 2030 and shows leadership as many of its regulations are stricter than those set at a national level.

Grenoble is strongly committed to improved energy performance and was the first local authority in France to adopt a Climate Plan in 2005. The city also created a Commitment Charter engaging local players and an Observatory to assess the actions and monitor energy use, the production of renewable energy and GHG emissions. Looking forward, Grenoble has set ambitious and realistic goals through the Metropolitan Local Climate Air and Energy Plan 2019 which aims to reduce energy use by 40% by 2030 and 50% by 2050.

Grenoble’s application includes the EGCA Technical Assessment Synopsis Report for the Award Cycle 2022 and Grenoble’s presentation. Additionally, there is a 1-year report available in both English and French, as well as photos from the awards ceremony in 2020.