Juvignac is a commune in the Hérault département in the Occitanie region in southern France.

Geography

The commune borders Montpellier to the east (separated by the Mosson River), Lavérune and Saint-Jean-de-Védas to the south (meeting at a quadripoint), Saint-Georges-d'Orques to the west, and Grabels to the north. Juvignac is the most populous commune in the western arc of Montpellier. It enjoys a Mediterranean climate, with over three hundred days of sunshine annually.

Climate

In 2010, the climate of the commune is classified as a frank Mediterranean climate, according to a study based on a dataset covering the 1971-2000 period. In 2020, Météo-France published a typology of climates in mainland France in which the commune is exposed to a Mediterranean climate and is part of the Provence, Languedoc-Roussillon climatic region, characterized by low rainfall in summer, very good sunshine (2,600 h/year), a hot summer 21.5 °C, very dry air in summer, dry conditions in all seasons, strong winds (with a frequency of 40 to 50% for winds > 5 m/s), and little fog. For the 1971-2000 period, the average annual temperature was 14.4 °C with an annual atmospheric temperature of 16.5 °C. The average annual total rainfall during this period was 695 mm, with 6 days of precipitation in January and 2.8 days in July. For the subsequent period of 1991 to 2020, the average annual temperature observed at the nearest weather station, located in the commune of Prades-le-Lez, 10 km away as the crow flies, is 14.6 °C, and the average annual total rainfall is 869.7 mm. For the future, climate parameters for the commune projected for 2050, based on different greenhouse gas emission scenarios, can be consulted on a dedicated website published by Météo-France in November 2022.

Natural environments and biodiversity

The inventory of natural areas of ecological, faunistic, and floristic interest (Zone naturelle d'intérêt écologique, faunistique et floristique, ZNIEFF) is a French national program aimed at identifying ecologically significant areas to enhance knowledge of natural heritage and aid decision-makers in integrating environmental concerns into land-use planning. One type 1 ZNIEFF is recorded in the commune: the 'Mosson Valley from Grabels to St-Jean-de-Védas', covering approximately 114 ha across five communes in the department.

Urbanism

Typology

As of January 1, 2024, Juvignac is classified as an ‘ceinture urbaine’ (urban belt) according to the new seven-level commune density grid established by Insee in 2022. It is part of the urban unit of Montpellier, an intra-departmental agglomeration comprising 22 communes, of which Juvignac is a suburban commune. Additionally, Juvignac belongs to the Montpellier attraction area, where it is designated as a commuter town. This area, encompassing 161 communes, falls under the category of areas with 700,000 inhabitants or more (excluding Paris).

Population

Changes in the number of inhabitants have been documented through population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. For communes with over 10,000 inhabitants, censuses are conducted annually via a survey based on a sampling of addresses representing 8% of the dwellings. This differs from other communes, where a full census is conducted every five years. In 2021, the commune had a population of 12,783; reflecting an increase of +20,27% since 2015 (Hérault: +7.29%, France excluding Mayotte: +1.84%).

Notes and references

Insee website

Other sources