The city of Lausanne is redesigning two central squares, Place de la Riponne and Place du Tunnel, which together constitute the largest public space in the city. You are invited to co-create a vision for this space as part of a participatory process!

The two squares have been negatively portrayed by the media and suffer from a bad public image. Yet, their reality is complex and manifold. The potential that their redesign represents can hardly be overemphasized. This is mainly due to their central location, size, and the diversity of the people that use them on a daily basis.

The participatory process represents a unique opportunity to reimagine a central part of the metropolitan area of Lausanne and rethink the role and nature of public spaces in the 21st century.

Among other initiatives, is a weekend of brainstorming and creative interventions on March 8-9-10. This will be a unique opportunity to explore, interact, reflect, exchange, occupy, co-create, and ideate on the future of these squares and what they mean to Lausanne (and the world!).

For three days, from morning to evening, the perimeter will be animated with direct interventions and moments of reflection and debate, covering topics such as the image of the squares, the role of public spaces, the perception of local actors, gentrification, participatory governance and much more.

The workshop and related events will result in a series of recommendations for the program and design of the two squares.

Experts in the field of participatory urban development, the urbz collective together with Ville en Tête, an association of architects exploring the city from the point of view of children and teenagers, have been commissioned by the city of Lausanne to conceive and run this process.

For more information about the project and to register for the open weekend, visit the official website:

https://www.riponne-tunnel.com