The Greater Geneva area — a cross-border conurbation with France and Switzerland — is experiencing one of the highest urban growth rates in Europe. Its natural and cultural heritage, its quality of life and its landscape are under pressure, especially at the urban fringe level. Using this area as an example, we questioned the relationship between city and nature, starting from the hypothesis that urban edges represent an opportunity for articulation between urban, natural and rural environments and places. Based on an interdisciplinary analysis carried out in depth in a test area (transboundary eastern Lake Geneva), the project shows that urban edge grids structured by a variety of layers, including woody vegetation and often water or wetlands, contribute to the biological connectivity and ecosystem services of the metropolitan area’s ecological infrastructure. They are dynamic places with multiple uses that need to be managed for the common good, they provide contrasting atmospheres and contribute to the quality of the landscape, social and sensitive interactions with living things within a natural environment of proximity. The project proposes tools to identify the urban edges of the metropolitan area, characterise their different qualities and then find strategic ways to manage them in urban planning and land use. https://lisieresurbaines.wixsite.com/lisieres-urbaines
Urban fringes: challenges for the viability of our cities
Project management:
Interreg Lisières et paysages urbains
Project duration:
31.08.2017 –
31.08.2020
Project partner:
CSTB, HEPIA, ASTERS, Equiterre