Gardening vacant lands : production, governance and social dynamics of urban gardened vacant lands in the north-eastern Île-de-France ; Jardiner les vacants : fabrique, gouvernance et dynamiques sociales des vacants urbains jardinés du nord-est de l'Île-de-France

Abstract

Since the early 2000's, gardened vacant lands – i.e. interstitial lots characterized by obsolete land-use, temporarily taken over and vegetalised by inhabitants – have emerged in France. The regulation by municipalities of such initiatives yields an institutional construct designated as jardin partagé. Gardened vacant land constitutes a specific type of jardin partagé because they are developed on a temporary and vacant lot. The thesis addresses gardened vacant land as territorial marker of social and political processes of "producing" and "living" the contemporary city. The thesis combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies based on 48 case-studies, located in the north-eastern Île-de-France. As argued, the institutionalization of associative gardened areas is an unprecedented fact. Yet, while theses spaces are co-produced and then users are fully involved in the management of vacant gardened, they have a limited role in the decision making process. If the diffusion of institutionalized gardened vacant lands certainly reflects a political commitment, it also emphasizes the increasing profits produced by such negotiated land-use, that are instrumental for municipalities, in order to promote increased safety, enhanced political outreach, and beautification. Finally, social and environmental impacts vary depending on several conditions. On the one hand, the emergence of social bonding is limited to the space of the garden, due to its hybrid status of "club". On the other hand, gardened vacant lands are rather understood as a toolbox, in order to enhance the quality of life, the environmental education, as well as territories dedicated to ecology and biodiversity. ; Au début des années 2000, on assiste en France au développement de vacants jardinés : des espaces interstitiels, dont les anciennes utilisations du sol sont caduques, temporairement conquis et végétalisés par les habitants. L'institutionnalisation de ces initiatives par les municipalités donne naissance au jardin partagé, dont le vacant jardiné ...