Last week, we accompanied Oleksandr Sienkevytch, Mayor of Mykolaiv, on a study visit to Montpellier as part of our #MistoMatch initiative.
This visit provided an opportunity to address, in very concrete terms, key issues related to energy, culture, and mobility, and to see firsthand the remarkable work carried out by the Mayor of Montpellier, Michaël Delafosse, and his municipal team.
Last June, the cities of Montpellier and Mykolaiv signed a partnership agreement. This summer, Montpellier welcomed children from Mykolaiv for a respite stay— a tangible demonstration of solidarity.
Our thanks go to Clare Hart, Vice-President of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole in charge of international cooperation, as well as to the international relations team, including Clémentine Papa and Valentin Costes, for their warm welcome and commitment.
Sports and Youth
Visit to the International BMX Skatepark of Montpellier, the largest in Europe (9,000 m²). Located in the heart of a wooded park, it offers skating areas, a pump track, a breakdance track, community spaces, and changing rooms. Access is free, and the site welcomes both amateurs and elite athletes.
Port Marianne: Biomass
A biomass heating plant supplies the district with heat, electricity, and cooling using wood chips from forestry and recycled wood. The result: several thousand tonnes of CO₂ emissions avoided each year and stabilized energy costs for residents.
Geothermal Energy
The Cambacérès geothermal plant taps into a deep groundwater aquifer. Its carbon footprint is very low (less than 30 g CO₂/kWh). It already supplies the Sud de France railway station and the Halle de l’Innovation and will ultimately serve 450,000 m² of built space.
La Cité Créative and Halle Tropisme
Halle Tropisme, a former military barracks transformed into a 10,000 m² creative hub, hosts more than 200 entrepreneurs and creatives and organizes 600 events per year.
It is the first milestone of La Cité Créative, a 40-hectare urban project combining housing, offices, schools, daycare centers, shops, and green spaces, including:
a creative campus bringing together four schools,
film and sound studios,
the redevelopment of Montcalm Park,
and the future Line 5 tramway, scheduled to open at the end of 2025.
Free Public Transport
With Julie Frêche, Vice-President in charge of transport, the city presented its mobility strategy. Since December 2023, Montpellier has been one of the first major European metropolitan areas to introduce completely free public transport for its residents— a strong social and environmental measure that facilitates mobility and reduces car use.
The visit concluded with a warm exchange with the Ukrainian community of Montpellier.
A strong dynamic is now underway between Montpellier and Mykolaiv, and the two cities are already working on joint, concrete, and mutually beneficial projects, involving citizens, public institutions, and local businesses.
