But shadows will nevertheless appear at Place Bellecour.
The City of Lyon unveiled this Tuesday the artistic project selected for a shaded route on the largest square on the Presqu'île.
“Urban weaving” therefore involves curtains installed on wooden structures, in the form of a tribute to the canut weaving looms.
The project will see the light of day in summer 2025.
“Making Bellecour more than a place of passage is what the people of Lyon widely expressed during the participatory budget. Very happy that Tristan Israel and Romain Froquet have imagined such an ambitious project, despite the constraints”welcomed the mayor of Lyon Grégory Doucet.
The constraints were such that the town hall's call for projects was a flop, with only two projects submitted…
The shaded course, planned to extend over 1,500 m² of sails spread over 500 linear meters, represents a first stage of a larger transformation plan. All of the installations will rise to nearly 7 meters high and will be maintained for five years, with the possibility of being repositioned elsewhere after this period.
However, the project does not convince everyone, especially on social networks where many residents express their disappointment at not seeing trees planted on the square. “It’s a first step”explains the mayor. “We will continue with other projects, such as the development of rue de la Barre which will allow the planting of trees.”
The initiative, which is part of the participatory budget launched in 2022, had to deal with significant technical constraints. Place Bellecour, listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, is based on a dense basement, housing in particular a car park and the metro. “Touching this ground requires long procedures,” recalled Béatrice Vessiller, vice-president of the Lyon Metropolis in charge of Urban Planning.
The work, starting in March for installation planned for July, has been designed so as not to interfere with annual events such as the Festival of Lights or the Run in Lyon, assures the town hall. However, it will of course be necessary “rehabilitate” certain event.
The total cost, for installation and maintenance over five years, amounts to 1.5 million euros. “We want to make something temporary that lasts, an investment that will be amortized in the long term“, insisted Grégory Doucet.
“We must adapt our cities to respond to climate challenges”, insisted the mayor, specifying that this project was part of a series of measures to make the Presqu'île “more livable”.
The shadow cast by the curtains aims to transform Bellecour “into a place of relaxation, offering an alternative to Lyonnais looking for freshness and fun spaces.” said the mayor. “The goal is to make Bellecour more loved than it is today.”
Asked about the risks of damage, the EELV councilor assured that measures would be put in place to protect the installation. “We must not stop ourselves from continuing to beautify the city on the pretext that some people may have bad intentions. But I am not going to put Lyon under cover either.”
Criticism nevertheless persists: many question the relevance of such an artistic project, temporary moreover, in the face of the urgent needs for permanent green spaces. The municipal administration, for its part, defends this approach as a means of testing new ways of developing public space, leaving the door open to future developments.
