Expanding the future green belt in the city of Clermont-Ferrand

Greening the Place Delille and Place Salford public squares radically transforms both the squares themselves and the surrounding neighborhood. Now bursting with lush layers of various plant species, the reimagined public squares fit seamlessly into the precise layout and architecture of the historic city center while significantly enhancing climate resilience. Vehicle traffic is reduced by moving roadways to one side of the squares only, resulting in calmer and more legible public spaces. The new Place Delille Garden-Square is a cross between a typical, hardscape public square and a garden. Here, visitors are immersed in an urban forest housing an easily accessible fountain. Hardscape surfaces, laid with basalt and Bouzentès lava rock, are carefully graded to direct stormwater toward planted softscape. This precise grading connecting hardscape to softscape optimizes ground permeability site-wide. All throughout both public squares, the understory is filled with small trees, multi-stemmed trees, and shrubs, planted at random intervals. Above, several large trees join the existing collection of plane trees, amplifying the bright canopy. Beds of perennials blanket the ground in blooming foliage and bright colors that change with the seasons, creating wild, natural spaces that bolster biodiversity.