AIVP new member : Bordeaux, a welcoming metropolis committed for solidarity and ecology

[Photo : City of Bassens] The chief town of the Gironde, world capital of wine but also a major river city situated at the mouth of the Garonne, has decided to join the AIVP. The metropolis of Bordeaux is thus joining its major seaport, in order to form a "city-port" binomial in total coherence with the philosophy of our association. To celebrate this occasion, we wished to interview Mr Alexandre Rubio, Mayor of Bassens, Metropolitan Councillor delegated to the "Arc rive droite" operation and to the management of flood and technological risks, representative of Bordeaux Metropole in the AIVP. Bordeaux Métropole has been an active member of AIVP since 2022. Photo : Bordeaux Métropole. "In a few words" AIVP - You recently joined AIVP. Can you briefly tell the other members of our association about your organisation? Mr. Alexandre Rubio, Bordeaux Métropole - Bordeaux Métropole aims to be a metropolitan authority committed to proximity, solidarity, and ecology. It encompasses 28 communes or municipalities, with a total population of some 815,000 residents across a territory covering 58,000 hectares (of which 1,800 are UNESCO heritage sites). Bordeaux Métropole’s activities are part of people’s everyday lives: transportation, housing, urban planning, economic growth and employment, nature protection, water, sanitation, waste, digital inclusion, support for cultural and sporting events, infrastructures like schools, stadiums, and so on. Bordeaux Métropole promotes strategic orientations and public policies for the benefit of all residents, based around six key priorities: The ecological transition, with the Métropole committed to the climate and quality of life.Mobility, to improve the quality of travel and transportation.Placing as much importance on people as on living spaces.Supporting economic growth and promoting the creation of long-term local jobs.A metropolitan area that focuses on public services and preserving shared assets.Shared governance and more open dialogue with the public. In 2022, the EU Commission added Bordeaux Métropole to its “Mission for 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030”, hailing the work done and the commitment to an innovative approach to the ecological and energy transition. Photo : Grand Port Maritime de Bordeaux. Collaboration with other AIVP members AIVP - What do you expect to gain from our international network, and what can you bring to AIVP? Mr. Alexandre Rubio, Bordeaux Métropole - The issue of rivers and the economic development of port zones is relevant for both metropolitan authorities and ports. At Bordeaux Métropole, a new “Port-Cities-Metropolitan Authority” partnership approach was adopted in 2020, as part of a strategy that involves rethinking the way we use the Garonne river. A wide-ranging new scheme has been launched called “Arc Rive Droite” or “Right Bank Arc”, that includes economic developments on the right bank of the river, new housing, new public services and transportation links, and innovations in…