Ranked among the ten greenest cities in France by UNEP, the Amiens area is recognized for the quality of its green spaces. Often described as green and blue city, it offers a particularly rich natural environment for its inhabitants and visitors: 281 hectares of green spaces, 300 hectares of forests, 300 hectares of horticulture, 30 hectares of marshland, its river and 65 km of waterways, 8.5 hectares of flowered areas. The city has been awarded the RAMSAR label for the quality of the protection of its wetlands.
Amiens is also the first town in France in terms of UNESCO heritage sites. Labelled ‘Ville d’Art et d’Histoire’, City of Art and History, since 1992, and since 2013 ‘Pays d’Art et d’Histoire’, Country of Art and History, including all the municipalities in the metropolitan area. The city’s flagship tourist attractions are respectively: Notre-Dame d’Amiens Cathedral, 692,981 visitors, the zoological park, 185,961 visitors, and the hortillonnages, 13,648 visitors.
The city benefits from one of the highest student population densities in France: nearly 40% of the city’s inhabitants are under 25 years old. The contemporary image of the city is strongly linked to an activity that shines beyond its borders: the importance of its university. In 2018, the city hosted 29,536 students and 800 researchers in around 40 higher education institutions. As a result, the city recently distinguished itself as the first French city to be awarded the title of European Youth Capital for 2020.
Amiens is a dynamic city investing in cultural projects. It supports its cultural centres, cultural players and the public: the Musée de Picardie reopened its doors in 2019 after several years of major renovations. Following this same process, the Amiens zoo is now undergoing a complete reorganisation linked to the expansion of its site for the well-being of the species and the quality of the visit.
The city is also known for the quality of its street art festival, which is offered each year by the Cirque Jules Verne. Open to all, the artists come into close contact with the inhabitants and visitors. Amiens is keen to involve its inhabitants in the development of the territory and is now emphasising citizen participation, inviting everyone to express their vision of the city of tomorrow, as Jules Verne, the emblematic figure of Amiens, would have wished.
