Journal

As the first heatwave of the year hits the UK, I think back to visiting Toulouse last summer. Toulouse is in the South of France. It’s hot. Temperatures in the summer are typically in the 30s nudging up to 40 degrees in August. In August 2023 temperatures reached a record 42.4 and there were 12 heatwaves through the year. It’s going to get hotter.

Compare these photographs of public realm in Toulouse. 

The first images show a historic street - Quai Lucien-Lombard - which extends along the north-eastern bank of the River Garonne. The south-west facing street was set out in the 18th century and comprises a generous pedestrian promenade along the waterfront flanked on both sides by trees. 

The other images show a new mixed-use quarter - Halles de la Cartoucherie - comprising homes, shops, workspace and leisure focused on a vibrant retrofit of the historic industrial workshops.

There’s a lot about the development at Halles de la Cartoucherie that is really excellent and well-considered but the approach to the public realm is severe with vast expanses of hard surfaces lacking planting, trees and shade (admittedly the water feature helps). The dimension between buildings - unlike the medieval centre of Toulouse which is densely-packed - does not provide for inherently shaded, comfortable streets. The thresholds around the edges of buildings do not integrate canopies or colonnades which would provide some respite from the harsh temperatures. 

Compare this approach to Quai Lucien-Lombard which naturally provides a comfortable environment, both for pedestrians and for occupants of the buildings that benefit from the shade provided by the trees.

Our predecessors instinctively understood how to build structures and cities that addressed climate without the use of complex carbon-intensive technology. We seem to have forgotten, or are choosing to ignore, these lessons. In the UK we should be making buildings AND public realm that are designed not just for today’s climate, but for the climate of 50 years time. In the UK this is going to be more like the mediterranean. 

Toulouse has instigated a plan to find ways to passively cool the city; “Toulouse + Fraiche”. The 30 point plan includes the integration of shading structures, together with the ambition of planting 100,000 trees by 2030. find out more here.

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