Adapting our town centres to climate change: a case study in Rochechouart

By 2050, Périgord-Limousin will face temperatures comparable to those of Nîmes today. To anticipate these developments, the Park co-organized an urban walk in Rochechouart for elected officials and technicians from the Porte Océane du Limousin community of communes.

An original format

Flash floods, more frequent heat waves, prolonged droughts, shrinking and swelling of clays... The quality of life and well-being of residents depend largely on the development choices made today, which make communities more or less resilient or vulnerable to climate change.

Saturday, September 27, around fifteenelected officials and technicians from the territory of the Porte Océane du Limousin Community of Communes met in Rochechouart for an urban stroll like no other.

Through eight stops with expert commentary, participants were able to discover how Rochechouart will have to adapt to hotter summers, wetter winters, and more frequent extreme weather events by 2050. During the tour, each stop was discussed in order to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of current developments in the face of climate change. While this walk took place in Rochechouart, the findings and solutions shared concern all the municipalities of Périgord-Limousin.

Observations and concrete avenues for adaptation

This meeting was an opportunity to present a range of solutions for adapting our town centers to climate change. For example, in Rochechouart, as in many towns in the Park, the majority of public places are impermeable which accentuates the phenomena of runoff and flooding in case of heavy rain. Even though the municipality has carried out significant work to decorate the streets with flowers, rainwater management and plant shade can be improved.

Faced with these findings, several operational solutions exist : creating cool islands, installing sunshades on building facades, planting suitable local species, de-impermeabilizing soils, rethinking urban planning, etc. The difficulties encountered in getting some of these solutions accepted in heritage protection sectors were discussed. This is particularly the case around certain castles or churches, due to the imperatives of landscape integration.

Beyond development solutions, social initiatives are also an important lever for adaptationClimate change will increase social inequalities, with the increase in the cost of living, food, access to fresh food, etc. Adaptation is therefore a major social issue. Initiatives like Pot'Sol (Solidarity Vegetable Garden) in Rochechouart are examples of helping out those on the lowest incomes.

A successful collaboration that gives ideas for the future

Who says climate change, says transversality and interdependence. This is why four organizations have come together to organize this walk: the Park, the Porte Océane du Limousin Community of Communes, the CAUE of Haute-Vienne, and the City of Rochechouart, winner of the Small Towns of Tomorrow program.

Participants particularly appreciated the format of this interactive training, the questions and solutions shared, the complementarity of the speakers, as well as the presence of Rochechouart elected officials to enhance the analysis of the town with their feedback from the field.

Following this first successful experience, the Park and its partners wish to duplicate this walk in other municipalities in the area in the fall of 2026. A great opportunity for the newly elected municipal councils to tackle the essential adaptation to climate change in our villages!