“Think global and act local: this formula sums up well the state of mind that must be adopted by mayors. Climate change, social-ecological transition, economic and democratic mutations… Faced with all these challenges, local action can provide concrete and positive solutions. In Rouen, this can be seen in the form of an unprecedented plan to restore the city’s natural beauty, the free use and development of public transport, the deployment of a genuine strategy of participatory democracy, as well as an action plan for equality between women and men, resolute action for social inclusion, for example through the Territoire Zéro chômeur de longue durée project, the dignified reception of refugees, the fight against exclusion, notably with the organisation of a Nuit de la solidarité… there are many initiatives in Rouen in favour of inclusive growth. Of course, it’s not perfect. But, in the face of the climate and social emergency, we are fighting, we are not giving up.”
– Mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol
Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol was Elected Mayor of Rouen in June 2020. With 67% of the vote, he was also appointed by the Metropolitan Council as President of the Rouen Normandy Metropolis (71 municipalities). His first actions focused on ecological and solidarity-based initiatives and a significant increase in investment expenditure, marking a turning point for the 10th largest metropolis in France. Before becoming Mayor, Mr Mayer-Rossignol was a European civil servant, alternating between public and private missions throughout his career. Notably, he was responsible for the biological and biotechnological drugs sector at the European Commission (2003-2008), and has held senior management positions within a major Normandy-based ETI with a humanitarian vocation (Nutriset – 2016-2020). He studied biotechnology and genomics at the Ecole Normale Supérieure and Stanford (2000). In 2013 Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol was the youngest President of the Region of France.
Representing Rouen’s strong will to respond to global climate change, the city is developing its resilience. Rouen’s Nature Restoration plan involves the creation of ecological corridors, the development of urban agriculture, the greening of public spaces, and improvements to water flow. In concrete terms, this has already resulted in nature being restored to the City’s schoolyards, urban consultation for the urban canopy of the Allée Delacroix, the implementation of the Rouen Art Nature project, the setting up of the landscape plan, and the creation of new urban copses.
Rouen is stepping up efforts to improve equality between men and women. The pursuit of gender equality is incorporated into many city activities, for example through the plan for the development of artistic representations of women in the city. Rouen has also highlighted the issue by hosting an exhibition ‘Femmes rouennaises inspirantes’, and prioritising women’s names when naming / renaming streets and public spaces.