Champs Ouverts, the surprising garden-cinema of L'Autre Champ to discover in Villetaneuse (93)

In Villetaneuse, in Seine-Saint-Denis (93), L'Autre Champ is among those initiatives that give the town a new hue. The association, active for several years in the local sociocultural scene, blends two worlds that pair nicely: the local cinema and agroecology. At Champs Ouverts, on Avenue de la Division Leclerc, one discovers a collective garden conceived as a space for breathing, learning and meeting, both useful to the neighborhood and open to the desires of residents.

Since 2016, the association l'Autre Champ has been working alongside the Ver Galant residents’ collective to develop a range of know-how tied to agroecological gardening, including this tunnel greenhouse where hundreds of seedlings are planted and tended collectively each year, before being largely distributed to local gardeners during open days. The seed bank, nourished by the seasons, helps circulate seeds that are reproducible and well-suited to local practices.

Activities and happenings take the form of educational workshops, collective harvest sessions, cooking, transforming harvests, and seed production. They also cover aromatic and medicinal plants, urban biodiversity, a nursery, a collective chicken coop, salvaging unsold organic vegetables, and food autonomy. A kind of open-air mini school, where you learn as much by watching the plants as by chatting with your neighbors.

As part of the Open Fields initiative, the association also aims to create new inclusive, supportive spaces, drawing on three plots made available in the wake of the community garden. The aim is clear: to develop venues for dialogue and sharing, to raise awareness of urban biodiversity, and to foster intergenerational encounters and social cohesion.

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The Open Fields program showcases, for instance, collective workshops, solidarity distributions, gardening, bicycle self-repair, and events that bring together bread, birds, and screenings. The association’s website also mentions Ciné-Villeta, with free film screenings, continuing the audiovisual work carried out by L'Autre Champ.

Another great idea to keep an eye on: the garden resource hub ressourcerie des jardins! L'Autre Champ collects and sorts materials useful for gardening, supports residents or groups wanting to cultivate spaces, and offers free advisory sessions and resources, announced twice a month according to the schedule. Pots, seeds, plants, straw, advice and shared experiences can all circulate, functioning like a toolbox for anyone looking to make a balcony bloom, the base of a building, or a community garden.

The urban gardens and farms of Paris and Île-de-France, with workshops and citywide activities
In Paris and the Île-de-France region, urban farms and community gardens are winning over city dwellers hungry for nature, sharing, and authentic experiences. On the capital’s rooftops, around a repurposed vacant lot, or in a hidden garden tucked between two buildings, these green spaces offer a genuine bucolic interlude. The lineup includes gardening workshops, hands-on learning, family moments, and an introduction to urban farming. [Read more]