Nice continues its greening programme with the “3-30-300” approach

Back in 2008, Christian ESTROSI, Mayor of Nice, President of the Metropolis and Deputy President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, set out to make Nice the “Green City of the Mediterranean” in order to improve the quality of life of the people of Nice and adapt the region to the consequences of climate change.

A winning greening policy, since the 2022 KERMAP study ranked Nice as the leading French city of more than 200,000 inhabitants in terms of tree cover.

This ambitious strategy is now being pursued with the “3-30-300” study, an approach now recognised by scientific studies as a health measure, designed to assess and promote the well-being of residents through vegetation based on three criteria:

• See at least 3 trees in your neighbourhood,
• 30% tree cover in neighbourhoods,
• Live less than 300 metres from a green space.

At a time when droughts and heatwaves are on the increase, these are three key indicators for determining the quality of urban life, now mapped at the scale of the city of Nice.

The initial results of the “3-30-300” study carried out by the City of Nice confirm the relevance of the strategy launched in 2008.

As a result, 92% of the population of Nice can now see three trees from their homes, while 83% live less than 300 metres from a green space, testifying to the effectiveness of greening initiatives.

However, only 45% of residents live in neighbourhoods with 30% tree cover, a target that is more difficult to achieve in a densely populated city.

In total, 37.5% of the population, or around 129,000 people in Nice, meet all three of the study’s criteria.

This figure is much higher than in cities such as Barcelona, where only 4.7% of residents meet these standards.

Towards a sustainable urban future

Alongside Richard CHEMLA, Deputy Mayor for Ecological Transition and Health, and Pierre-Paul LEONELLI, Deputy Mayor for Parks and Gardens, Christian ESTROSI reiterated his commitment to continuing this green transformation. The encouraging results achieved so far, thanks in particular to the extension of green spaces and the planting of 280,000 trees, show that this policy is not only necessary but also effective.

By pursuing the objective of making Nice greener and more resilient, the “3-30-300” rule is part of a long-term vision that aims to sustainably improve the quality of life of the people of Nice. The City of Nice will continue to publish the results of the indicators linked to this rule on a regular basis, while adapting its actions to meet the new climate challenges.