The citizen group Viva! sounds the alarm on the metropolis’s climaticidal and antisocial policy.
The citizen group “Viva! – Democracy, Ecology, Solidarity” was formed in 2019 with a view to the 2020 municipal elections. Proud of achieving 8.9% of the votes, it continues its struggle and regularly criticizes the metropolis’s policies. In fact, the “irresponsibility” of the policies led by Christian Estrosi is particularly condemned by this citizen group. Moreover, since Viva! does not have a seat in the Nice council chamber, it offers an “external” perspective on municipal policies. It thus aims to be close to the citizens and their concerns.
“Incoherent” and “catastrophic” environmental policies…
The citizen group Viva! calls for the definitive abandonment of the Nice airport extension. Florence Ciaravola has addressed the issue of the Nice airport extension. Judged as completely contrary to the carbon neutrality by 2050 objective, the extension works provoke indignation among environmental activists. They highlight the inevitable increase in air, noise, and visual pollution. Further, Florence Ciaravola sees these works as an “aberration” in a context of rising sea levels and climate disruption.
For Viva!, this extension reflects the city’s tourism policy. Nice’s tourism appears to be perfectly contrary to current ecological imperatives. Florence Ciaravola notably underscores the “irresponsibility” of the city’s latest tourism campaign “Winter is the new summer”.
Robert Injey, spokesperson for the left and environmentalist group “Viva!”, emphasized the “inconsistencies” in the city’s transport policy. He recalls that the city of Nice is one of the most polluted cities in France, largely due to road traffic. Moreover, roads in the Azure region are regularly congested. In response, Robert Injey denounces the hike in the ticket price for Azur lines. This increase, amid the inflation crisis this summer, illustrates a “climaticidal” and “social disaster” policy. In this vein, Viva! wishes to propose a commission to evaluate the feasibility of a project for free public transport.
… that contribute to worsening socio-spatial inequalities.
For the citizen group Viva!, these policies have serious repercussions on the city’s social cohesion. According to David Nakache, president of the association “Tous citoyens!”, it is high time to reconcile the economy and the environment. He reminds us that human lives are paying the price for these climate disruptions. In Biot, twenty people were swept away by the October 2015 floods. Recently, during the passage of storm Aline, residents expressed significant concern and lamented the many damages. For David Nakache, the climate emergency must guide current policies. In addition to the environmental aspect, the “irresponsibility” criticized in the metropolitan policies weighs on social balance.
Indeed, David Nakache denounces a two-speed urbanization that exacerbates the “social separation”. According to him, the future Palais des Expositions located at the MIN will foster the emergence of a “tourist bubble” in this district. This bubble, near the Moulins neighborhood, will contribute to real socio-spatial segregation. The city of Nice would thus follow a markedly bipolar urban logic. He notes that this Thursday, October 26, the Abbé Pierre Foundation will organize an event at the HETIS regarding housing issues in Nice.
Thus, according to Viva!, the “perpetual frenzy for tourism” in the capital of the French Riviera deeply harms both the environment and the most vulnerable social categories. It proposes several recommendations such as implementing a tourism cap or developing green tourism.
Finally, Mireille Damiano, a lawyer in Nice, questioned the exercise of local democracy. She criticized the lack of transparency from the metropolis regarding the funding of various projects, including the Palais des Congrès. The activist, therefore, calls for “citizen vigilance” and encourages people to actively engage in the city’s issues.