Nathalie Appéré is the first female mayor of Rennes who has been holding this position since April 2014. In June 2020, she was re-elected as mayor. One month later, she got also elected as President of Rennes Metropole. Nathalie Appéré has been a pioneer in social housing and has been investing major amounts in urban renewal programs across the city. She has also been dedicated to fostering a fair transition, both social and ecological, and improving the quality of life in Rennes which are all still her top priorities. During her mayoral term, the City of Rennes has been proactively providing shelter for families with children, a policy for which she committed at the beginning of her first mandate in 2014. Mayor of Rennes managed to provide shelter for more than 900 people, and also made an emergency center that provides accommodation of up to 100 places which opened in November 2020. This municipal shelter system is unique in France and is functioning thanks to mayor Appéré. The city has been undergoing a growing crossbreeding of cultures and generations. There are more and more people coming to the city, with the result of social and cultural opening up of Rennes. This encourages mayor Appéré to actively foster mutual knowledge as well as intercultural issues in the city of Rennes. She has also been trying to improve the city’s field of education and has started projects such as the construction of three new school groups and the enlargement of various schools during her mandate. This was her response to the need of facing up a growing school-aged population in Rennes. Facing the challenge of climate change, the City of Rennes has sought alternatives to single-passenger car use by developing efficient and reliable public transport, and ensuring pricing remains accessible. Nathalie is the mayor who is constantly facing the challenges of climate change. The 2021 opening of a second metro line placed 75% of the population of Rennes within 600 meters of a metro station, while park-and-ride facilities and the redeployment of the bus service made it possible to better connect the towns of Rennes Métropole. This way, the city aims to avoid 50,000 car journeys per day, which is Nathalie’s huge success. The 2nd metro line project, which was under her mayoral term, also represents a significant investment to diversify housing, investing in more energy-efficient buildings, and development of economic activities around the stations. (photo credit: wikimedia)