Amid a national retreat from ecological ambitions, emblematic environmental measures are becoming more consensual at the municipal level. In Paris, Les Républicains candidate Rachida Dati includes green proposals in her program for the March 15 and 22, 2026 elections. Yet, some issues remain contentious.
France's 2026 municipal elections highlight a contrast between national and local levels on ecological issues. Nationally, environmental measures face successive attacks, but locally, they gain consensus. For instance, in Paris, Rachida Dati, mayor of the 7th arrondissement and Les Républicains (LR) candidate, proposes greening Place de la République, preserving bike-friendly policies, "débitumage" of the capital, and turning it into a "sponge city." She also plans to convert the voies sur berge into a "grand parc urbain patrimonial."
These ideas differ from past opposition. In 2010, a citizen vote opposed the pedestrianization of the voies sur berge sought by socialist mayor Bertrand Delanoë, a measure that became emblematic under Anne Hidalgo. The Union pour un mouvement populaire, LR's predecessor, then advocated partial covering. Today, Sarah Knafo, Reconquête! candidate, revives this project.
Despite Rachida Dati's understanding of Paris voters' sociology, her proposals contrast with the national mood. Does the ecological backlash stop at city hall doors? "The backlash does not exist at the local level, affirms Christophe Bouillon, divers gauche mayor of Barentin (Seine-Maritime) and president of the Association des petites villes de France. Voters demand these measures." Issues like building insulation are also more consensual locally, though some conflicts persist.
