Plante & Cité

What Plante & Cité does

Plante & Cité is a French non-profit association (association loi 1901) founded in 2006 and headquartered in Angers (26 rue Jean Dixméras, Maison du Végétal). It operates as France's national technical center for urban nature, producing applied research, technical references, and best-practice guides on urban vegetation and green-space management for territorial collectivities, green-space companies, and landscape professionals. The association runs approximately 30 study programs per year across topics including dense urban vegetation (GREENDENSE), wooded urban plots (SYLVADENSE), disease-vector ecology (MYSTIC), heritage and ecology (ARCHE), underground network cohabitation (RESEAUX), soil de-impermeabilization (DESSERT), and pollinator-supporting flora (ENTOMOFLORE).

Its product surface is anchored by three institutional assets: Les Baromètres de Plante & Cité, an indicators platform aggregating technical, economic, and environmental data from member green-space managers; the EcoJardin ecological management label (882 certified sites, 168 managers); and the Végétal local plant certification scheme (~200 collectors/producers), supplemented by an online resource center. The association is governed by a board, a scientific council chaired by Philippe Clergeau, and a presidency held by Christophe Béchu (Mayor of Angers), with Caroline Gutleben serving as Director.

The revenue model blends recurring membership dues from ~800 member structures with project-based grants from French and European public institutions — OFB, ADEME, ANRT, VALHOR, INTERREG, and regional councils — alongside co-financing from Angers Loire Métropole. The 2026 operating budget stands at €1.6M, of which 72% is allocated to studies and research. The association has extended internationally via the European GREENDENSE program and through Plante & Cité Suisse, signaling a controlled expansion of its methodological and certification footprint beyond France.

Name

Plante & Cité

Legal name

Association Plante & Cité

Website

https://plante-et-cite.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Plante & Cité is a French non-profit association founded in 2006 that serves as the national technical center for urban nature, producing applied research, the EcoJardin and Végétal local certifications, and an indicators platform for territorial collectivities and green-space professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Greening Research and Technical Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Tree & Shrub Fertilization & Plant Health Care (PHC) (HSAIAGAG)

Keywords

• Urban greening research
• Green space management
• Ecological certification
• Urban biodiversity studies
• Landscape engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Angers

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees (Cotisations): Annual membership fees from approximately 800 member structures including collectivités territoriales, companies, and professional organizations. Membership provides access to services including technical resources, networking, participation in studies and experiments.
2. Project Funding and Grants: Funding from public institutions for specific research projects including INTERREG North-West Europe, Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB), ANRT, ADEME, VALHOR, and regional councils.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Plante & Cité is a French non-profit technical center (association loi 1901) that produces and disseminates scientific knowledge and innovative practices on urban vegetation for green space professionals and territorial collectivities. It conducts approximately 30 applied research programs annually, manages certification labels (EcoJardin, Végétal local), and operates an online resource center providing technical guides, indicators, and thematic documentation to its 800 member structures.

Product overview

Plante & Cité operates as a national technical center for urban nature, offering a portfolio of research programs, online tools, and certification labels. Core offerings include Les Baromètres de Plante & Cité (an indicators platform for green space professionals), the EcoJardin ecological management label, and the Végétal local plant certification. The organization conducts approximately 30 annual research programs including GREENDENSE, SYLVADENSE, MYSTIC, ARCHE, RESEAUX, DESSERT, BONZAIL, and ENTOMOFLORE, addressing topics such as urban vegetation, soil health, biodiversity, tree-root cohabitation with underground networks, and ecological management practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Les Baromètres de Plante&Cité: Technical, economic and environmental indicators platform for urban vegetation professionals
• EcoJardin
• Végétal local

Products and services

• Annual Membership (Adhésion)

Quantifiable outcome

• 882 sites certified through EcoJardin label in France
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Multiple research projects including MYSTIC (vector-borne diseases), Sylvadense (dense wooded plots), and BONZAIL (devitalization alternatives). OFB provides both technical and financial support to Plante & Cité research programs.
• INTERREG North-West Europe (GREENDENSE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024European cooperation project on vegetation of dense urban areas for climate resilience and health. Partners include Dordrecht (Netherlands), Malines (Belgium), Bruges (Belgium), Bremen (Germany), Cork (Ireland), Brest Métropole (France), Eurocities, ICLEI, TU Delft, STIPO, and University of Cork. Funded by INTERREG North-West Europe and Conseil Régional des Pays de la Loire.
• ADEME et CeremacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Tripartite partnership 'AVEC: Adaptation du Végétal au Climat de demain' (Adaptation of Vegetation to Tomorrow's Climate). Aims to advance knowledge and provide reliable data for choosing plant species based on cooling and climate adaptation capacities.
• VALHOR - Interprofession HorticulturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Annual partnership convention supporting innovation in urban nature. Involves 9 projects annually. VALHOR represents the upstream and downstream horticultural sector.
• Multiple Technical and Research PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRESEAUX project partners including: Ville d'Angers, Grand Lyon, CD92, CAUE77, UMR AMAP (CIRAD), Copalme, GRDF, GRTGaz, ENEDIS, IDRRIM, CIBI, Fédération Cinov, Ordre des Géomètres Experts. Project on cohabitation between tree root systems and underground networks.
• ANCT - Agence Nationale de la Cohésion des TerritoiresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports ARCHE program on reconciling historic heritage preservation with ecological challenges, through Action Cœur de Ville program.
• Ministère de la CultureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ARCHE program studying the reconciliation of historic heritage preservation with ecological challenges in urban areas.
• EurocitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of major European cities participating in GREENDENSE project on urban vegetation.
• ICLEI - Local Governments for SustainabilityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational association of local governments participating in GREENDENSE project for climate resilience through urban greening.
• Angers-Loire-MétropoleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-finances the association and participates as a partner in various research projects including BONZAIL and Sylvadense.
• INRAE UMR BIOGECOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for Sylvadense CIFRE thesis on ecological dynamics of dense wooded plots in urban environments. Co-encadrée thesis with Annabel J. Porté.
• Sites & CitésminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ARCHE program on heritage and ecological challenges. Supports heritage preservation awards including Prix Sites & Monuments 'Allées d'arbres'.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CTIFL (Centre Technique Interprofessionnel des Fruits et des Légumes): French interprofessional technical center conducting applied research and experimentation for fruit and vegetable professionals. Highly comparable structurally — a non-profit technical center funded by member fees and public grants, producing applied research, technical references, and indicator platforms for a specific professional community.
• Tela Botanica: French non-profit association federating botanists and amateur/expert naturalists around citizen science and botanical knowledge. Directly comparable as a French membership-based non-profit producing and disseminating botanical/plant knowledge through a community of professionals and amateurs.
• VALHOR (Interprofession Horticulture): French interprofessional body representing the horticulture value chain. Comparable as an interprofessional organization funding applied research and innovation in plant-related sectors; a core partner of Plante & Cité through annual conventions covering 9 projects.
• NatureEnVille (related French platform): Listed by Plante & Cité as one of its affiliated sites, focused on urban nature content for professionals and the public. Comparable as a sibling dissemination channel addressing overlapping audiences on urban vegetation and green-space management in France.

Broad incumbents

• ADEME (Agence de la transition écologique): French public agency funding and steering ecological transition research and operations. Comparable as a major funder and policy-aligned partner that both competes for visibility in environmental research and co-finances Plante & Cité's programs (AVEC, RESEAUX).
• CEREMA (Centre d'études et d'expertise sur les risques, l'environnement, la mobilité et l'aménagement): French public expert center providing scientific and technical expertise on urban planning, environment, and infrastructure, including green infrastructure. Directly comparable as a public technical-reference body, and a partner on the AVEC project alongside ADEME.
• INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement): France's national public research institute covering agriculture, food, and environment. Comparable as a publicly funded scientific research partner that co-produces research with Plante & Cité (e.g., UMR BIOGECO on Sylvadense) and competes for the same talent and grant pools.
• Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB): French public operator supporting biodiversity policy implementation and research. Directly comparable as a core institutional partner (MYSTIC, Sylvadense, BONZAIL) and as the entity that now manages Végétal Local certification formerly co-developed with Plante & Cité.

Emerging players

• The Nature of Cities: International digital platform convening thinkers and practitioners on urban nature and design. Comparable as a content-and-community platform serving urban-ecology professionals globally, though without Plante & Cité's applied research, certifications, or French institutional anchoring.
• ARB (Agence Régionale de Biodiversité) Île-de-France / regional biodiversity agencies: Regional biodiversity agencies operating at the regional level to coordinate ecological data, expertise, and policy. Comparable as publicly funded knowledge-and-network bodies serving local authorities on urban biodiversity, partially overlapping Plante & Cité's collectivités segment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/planteetcite
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plante-cit%C3%A9

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Plante & Cité