Breathing new life into the right bank of the River Rhone in Lyon
By Zoey Kroening
Balancing Lyon's rich history with a thriving environment, our urban design proposal seeks a new city symbiosis: reducing reliance on cars, promoting biodiversity and embracing water and nature’s role. By minimizing car-centric infrastructure, we can envision Lyon as a living, breathing organism, reconnected with nature and fostering vibrant communities and ecosystems.
Contact
Associate Design Director - Landscape
Sonja Stockmarr
Global Design Director, Landscape
We are proud to share our vision for the transformation of this unique stretch of riverbank, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, spread over 2.5km in length and 40m in width.
Urban reconnection
Often city rivers are surrounded by concrete walls and busy highways. These areas create a disconnection between cities, making navigation on bike and foot unpleasant, and leaving little room for nature and human interaction. Our proposal reimagines the riverbank as a dynamic and inviting space, transforming the river from a barrier to an attraction. Rethinking the heavily congested north-south connector of the city we prioritize future mobility, renaturalization, and improved microclimates.
Bringing nature back into Lyon
A natural highway becomes the new north-south connector, facilitating movement for both people and fauna from outside to inside the city. Bike lanes shaded by trees, reduced asphalt, and pedestrian paths along the riverbank are key features. Through the restoration of natural habitats and green infrastructure, we create a resilient urban environment that can withstand the challenges posed by flooding and cloudbursts.
This green framework also bridges various scales; it addresses both the local scale, engaging residents, and the metropolitan scale, reconnecting the eastern Lyon area with the western territory of the metropolis. Additionally, within flexible bridge spaces, we proposed educational green labs sheltered from the weather, where residents and visitors alike can reconnect with nature.
Additionally, within flexible bridge spaces, we proposed educational green labs sheltered from the weather, where residents and visitors alike can reconnect with nature.
Reestablishing the city's relationship with water
Creating different atmospheres along this stretch of river helps reconcile the different sides of the city, making space for Lyon’s seasonal global visitors alongside its local residents. Lyon's lively festival culture finds a home outside the heritage hotspots, bringing life and vibrancy to a space often dominated by hard surfaces. Floating renaturalization structures, kayak activities, and a floating swimming pool further enrich the city’s relationship with its waterways.
Thank you to our client and collaborators on this competition proposal which came in second place, Gran Lyon Municipality, Lafayette Architectes, EGIS, Etablissement, VraimentVraiment, BOA lighting, Elioth, and RL&A.
Visuals by Floryn illustration, Aesthetica Studio, and Henning Larsen.
