Town planning in the Dijon agglomeration: another idea of democracy! – dijoncter.info
Courageous activists from neighborhood associations and municipalities in Dijon and agglomeration braved the rain this Thursday, June 30 to deliver their leaflet “ Another idea of democracy to the Metropolitan Councilors just before the Council meeting.
We, collective of associations acting, among other things, in our neighborhoods and municipalities for the promotion and defense of the environment of the Dijon metropolisexpress our indignation concerning the attitude of metropolitan elected officials during modification No. 1 of the Local Intermunicipal Urban Plan Habitat and Travel (PLUi-HD).
We present them here another idea of democracy and let us seize the newly elected Côte-d’Oriens deputies as to the national choices in terms of town planning and regional development.
These choices, which will seriously affect the habitability of our municipalities in the years to come, we are concerned, just as much for the youngest as for the oldest citizens.
Let’s remember the facts
During 2019, which saw the development of the PLUi-HD, a public inquiry was conducted. As provided for by law, the Administrative Tribunal appointed an Independent Commission of Inquiry which issued an advisory opinion. Of the 1,300 public comments, most were ignored.
From November 2 to December 3, 2021, during a new public inquiry into Amendment No. 1 of the PLUi-HD, 373 observations were submitted. These were received and then analyzed by the Investigating Commissioners, who were retained for their report of the public’s significant proposals and corrections. This time again, the investigating commissioners were not heard, but reacted !
Revolting contemptuous attitudes
On March 24, 2022, during the meeting of the Metropolitan Council, the vice-president in charge of urban planning and president of the local public development company brushed aside the work of the investigating commissioners, declaring: “ When you talk to us about the investigating commissioners, we would think we were back in the Committees of Public Safety under the French Revolution ! ” and “ Do you know the culture, the origin of the investigating commissioners ? They come from rural areas and do not understand a certain number of situations. »
We point out that neither the President nor any of the elected members of the Council present made any comment or request for clarification in the face of this inadmissible denial of democracy …
The reaction of the investigators was not long in coming: “Unacceptable for an elected official to question our legitimacy“, published on April 19, 2022 in Public Good.
According to U.S, respecting democracy also means accepting the voice of the inhabitants, who took the step of filing observations and that of the Investigating Commissioners, whose mission is to carry this word and issue an opinion. We think that these conclusions, within the framework of a public inquiry relating to a project which will affect the life of 250,000 inhabitants of the intercommunality for the decade to come, better deserve that the contempt is shown by its designers.
The maintained blur
The proposals of the vice-president of Dijon Métropole are also an admission of the complexity of the rules of local urban planning.
More than 1,000 pages punctuated with obscure calculations, acronyms and fuzzy concepts would be within the reach of ordinary citizens when, according to Mr. Pribetich, the investigating commissioners would have understood nothing ? We are far from the expected transparency… yet recommended in August 2019 by the Commission of Inquiry.
The responses of the elected representatives of Dijon Métropole to the observations are, for the most part, justified by a quantitative housing objective that seems more based on political criteria, as demonstrated by the real needs of the inhabitants and the elements of the climatic context. We also regret that the many project sites constituting veritable carte blanche left to investors and promoters, allowing to escape the necessary preservation of nature and heritage in our neighborhoods. Finally, we emphasize that this outrageous artificialization is facilitated by the preemptive power of mayors over properties.
In these conditions, we ask ourselves:
- and if the vagueness was deliberately maintained to avoid recourse by local residents ?
- and if the interest of investors for tax exemption took precedence over the well-being of the inhabitants ?
- and if obtaining yet another “pseudo-ecological” label or architectural performance counted more than the preservation of trees and open ground ?
Is this the conception that our elected officials have of their role within a democracy which should listen to and take care of the citizens ?
Another idea of democracy
In front of this flouting of democracy and faced with the disdain or indifference of elected metropolitan officials, we continue to alert !
Especially since with the climate emergency, the Dijon conurbation – sparsely treed [1] – is particularly exposed to health risks. In 2003 – a year of heat wave, among 13 major French cities, Dijon was in second place after Paris, for its excess mortality (+ 93 %) of 1uh as of August 19, compared to previous years [2]. Despite this, the artificialization of the agglomeration has continued to increase while these scientific data must be taken into account.
Faced with an inappropriate response in the fabric of an ever denser city, we believe that the solution lies in the power of each and everyone to act. This is why our associations call on all citizens to join us.
Our vision of democracy is concretized, among other things, by a commission for reflection and harmonization of town planning at the scale of the large districts of the agglomeration. Made up of experts in town planning and architecture, scientists and sociologists, associations working to protect the environment, residents and neighborhood associations, this commission provides for meeting between urban planners and expert residents of their neighborhoods.
With respect for everyone, the benefits would be to draw up a complete analysis of the risks and to co-construct resilient solutions that prevent abuses that generate more or less long-term discomfort for all.
Finally, we ask the newly elected deputies of the 5 constituencies of Côte-d’Or that they position themselves on the subjects of the promotion and defense of the environment:
- what town planning and land use planning procedures will you use for the respect for the living, human and non-human ?
- what is your view on public participation rules ?
- to pay the balance of the territory do you envisage “demetropolisation” ?
We are available to provide them with our testimonials and share our experience so that, throughout the Dijon metropolis and everywhere in France, a participative, sober and sustainable town planning.
Signatory associations:
Association of the Quartier des Ateliers – Living well in the Larrey neighborhood – Cayen Environnement – Montagne Sainte Anne neighborhood committee – Together for Chenôve – The Friends of the Hauts de Dijon – The Friends of the Jardins de l’Engrenage – The Friends- es des Lentillères – The Inhabitants of Mirande-Montmuzard-University of Dijon (H2MU) – Residents of October 30 Porte Neuve – Residents of the Larrey district – Quétigny environment
With the support of :
The political ecology workshop – Collective Dijon Passion Heritage – Friends of the Earth Côte-d’Or – Heritage Environment Burgundy-Franche-Comté – Preserve our trees in town