{"id":5643,"date":"2020-11-20T14:02:37","date_gmt":"2020-11-20T13:02:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xoxo.capsule.ch\/2020\/11\/20\/greater-geneva-and-its-soil-the-built-and-the-unbuilt\/"},"modified":"2025-04-23T16:57:39","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T14:57:39","slug":"greater-geneva-and-its-soil-the-built-and-the-unbuilt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xoxo.capsule.ch\/fr\/2020\/11\/20\/greater-geneva-and-its-soil-the-built-and-the-unbuilt\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing the Land Back into the City \u2013 Possibilities for Ecological Transition in Geneva"},"content":{"rendered":"With a fast population increase and a high housing demand projected to continue in the coming decades, Geneva encounters a profound challenge. Since decades, the city has been spilling over across the national border. Urban growth and land consumption in the Canton and in the French part of the Genevian agglomeration continue to put pressure on settlement areas and to erode agricultural and natural landscapes. The social fabric across the region is increasingly uneven. How can thus designers offer design and planning strategies, not only for the city of Geneva, but for the entire region?<\/em>\n\n\n\nCan design help mediate among different cross-border interests and governance arrangements, to create transboundary solutions? Can it help promote a common vision for the region, beyond the city-centric conceptions, and beyond the national border? And can design and planning respond to the urgency of social and environmental \u00abtransitions\u00bb, facing up to the climate crisis and biodiversity loss?<\/em>\n\nThe city of Geneva and its region have always represented a diverse territory and a unity of perceived opposites \u2013 the Swiss-French, the protestant-catholic, international-local, and urban-rural qualities and conditions, all come together in the Genevian cuvette, framed by the Jura and the Alps. In 2008, the French and Swiss municipalities around Geneva formalised a decade-long process of negotiating regional cooperation by creating a new territorial entity, the Grand Gen\u00e8ve<\/em>. Ten years later, in October 2018, the public Consultation Grand Gen\u00e8ve 2050<\/a>\u00a0launched by the Fondation Braillard Architectes, gathered seven international and interdisciplinary teams around a task to propose design and planning visions for the future of the Grand Gen\u00e8ve, based on the necessity of \u00abecological transition\u00bb and in line with the principles of sustainable development. In this framework, the team of the ETH Z\u00fcrich Architecture of Territory, the UNI Luxembourg Master in Architecture, and Raumbureau A+U elaborated Grand Gen\u00e8ve et son sol<\/a><\/em>, a territorial strategy for a more self-sufficient and polycentric cross-border region.\n\n\n
\n
\"Territories
Territories of urban potentials for Geneva region in 2050. \u00a9 Team Grand Gen\u00e8ve et son sol.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Harmonising
Harmonising the built and the unbuilt. \u00a9 Team Grand Gen\u00e8ve et son sol. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Constructing
Constructing the figure of the bi-national metropolis based on 6 indicators of potential. \u00a9 Team Grand Gen\u00e8ve et son sol. Cartography: Karoline Kostka and Nikos Katsikis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Bi-national
Bi-national metropolis describes a potential for a new polycentric cross-border networked urban figure at regional scale. \u00a9 Team Grand Gen\u00e8ve et son sol.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Constructing
Constructing the figure of vital streams and canopies based on 7 indicators of potential. \u00a9 Team Grand Gen\u00e8ve et son sol. Cartography: Karoline Kostka and Nikos Katsikis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Vital
Vital streams and canopies urge a move from fragmented nature areas in the present, \ntowards an integrated and refined ecological network going from high altitudes of the Jura and the Alps toward the lake. \u00a9 Team Grand Gen\u00e8ve et son sol.\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\nThe project approaches socio-ecological transition through the problematic of land, understood in its manifold expressions \u2013 as ecological structure, as appropriated and regulated surface, and as a place of identification. The central hypothesis is that the future of the region should be recast through the notions of the built and the unbuilt. The built-up and the unbuilt lands throughout the region ought to be harmonized with each other, and any further competition among land uses avoided. Thus, a new urban figure, which balances social and environmental needs and qualities, becomes possible.\n\nThe project is organized in the form of a charter, which operates along two axes. The first axis elaborates five urban strategies that can be deployed at various scales, from architectural to urban and regional: Cit\u00e9 naturelle, Cit\u00e9 agricole, Cit\u00e9 de proximit\u00e9, Cit\u00e9 partag\u00e9e and Cit\u00e9 cyclique. The second axis describes seven territories of potentials in the region, that should serve as basis for future land-use decisions. Derived from fieldwork, and elaborated through urbanistic and cartographic studies, the seven territories of potentials are: Bi-natonal metropolis, Global-local territories, Post-fossil infrastructures, Agri-landscape rooms, Metropolitan countryside, Vital streams and canopies, and Mountain parks (see illustrations).The charter also offers a programmatic outline with agendas for design and governance at various scales.\n\nThe new urban figure \u2013 in effect, a new kind of city which emerges at regional scale \u2013 dissolves the centre-periphery dichotomy, giving shape to a more equitable, polycentric, self-sufficient and regenerative landscape, composed of both built and unbuilt lands. In contrast to a master plan, the proposed territorial strategies are flexible, and able to respond to various and unpredictable scenarios of growth and shrinkage. While the external boundaries of the future city-region would be demarcated by the silhouette of cuvette genevois, its development would take place internally, within the figure, through the synergy and consolidation of specific potentials of the built and the unbuilt.\n\nThe Consultation Grand Gen\u00e8ve 2050 concluded in September 2020, with a final dialogue<\/a> and participants’ presentations. Since the fall of 2016, design and research studios<\/a> and diplomas at ETH Z\u00fcrich Architecture of Territory and UNI Luxembourg Master in Architecture, informed and inspired the project. More than 30 concrete designs for various sites throughout the region have been created by the students.\n\n\n
\n
\"With
With students on the top of the Sal\u00e8ve, overlooking the cuvette genevoise. \u00a9 ETH Z\u00fcrich Architecture of Territory, studio Geneva Unbuilt \u2013 Gardening City and Land, 2019. Photograph: Ferdinand Pappenheim. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Forest
Forest garden city, project for the Jura Mountain parks by Nadina Dollie, Cindy Gloggner and Lea Andermatt \u00a9 ETH Z\u00fcrich Architecture of Territory, studio Geneva Unbuilt \u2013 Ideas take Root, 2019.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Bocage
Bocage Metropolis, declaring Geneva a bocage, project for Vital streams and canopies by Lloyd Broda \u00a9 ETH Z\u00fcrich Architecture of Territory, master thesis, 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Agri-village
Agri-village revisited. A village manifesto for new urban commons, project for Metropolitan countryside by Joshua Andres and Tobias H\u00e4usermann \u00a9 ETH Z\u00fcrich Architecture of Territory, studio Metropolitan Countryside \u2013 Lac L\u00e9man, 2016.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Agripelago
Agripelago campagne genevoise project for Agri-landscape rooms by Oliver Burch and Sarah Stieger \u00a9 ETH Z\u00fcrich Architecture of Territory, studio Communes \u2013 Le Village Suisse Revisited, 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Inhabiting
Inhabiting abandoned greenhouses project for Agri-landscape rooms by Oliver Burch and Sarah Stieger \u00a9 ETH Z\u00fcrich Architecture of Territory, studio Communes \u2013 Le Village Suisse Revisited, 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The fragmentation of landscapes and ecosystems is a result of ongoing urban expansion into agricultural land. Land cover in Geneva region in 2016. \u00a9 ETH Z\u00fcrich Architecture of Territory, studio Geneva Unbuilt \u2013 Gardening City and Land, 2019.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Crossing
Crossing the border from Geneva's protected countryside in Switzerland, to the new housing estates in the French Geneva. \u00a9 ETH Z\u00fcrich Architecture of Territory, studio Lac L\u00e9man \u2013Metropolitan Countryside, 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Can
Can we make a plan for Grand Gen\u00e8ve 2050? \u00a9 Team Grand Gen\u00e8ve et son sol based on the thesis by ETH Studio Basel Contemporary City Institute in: Switzerland: An Urban Portrait, 2005.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Can
Can we make a plan for Grand Gen\u00e8ve 2050? \u00a9 Team Grand Gen\u00e8ve et son sol based on the thesis by ETH Studio Basel Contemporary City Institute in: Switzerland: An Urban Portrait, 2005.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Can
Can we make a plan for Grand Gen\u00e8ve 2050? \u00a9 Team Grand Gen\u00e8ve et son sol based on the thesis by ETH Studio Basel Contemporary City Institute in: Switzerland: An Urban Portrait, 2005.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\nGrand Gen\u00e8ve et son sol: A Charter for the Socio-Ecological Transition of a Cross-Border Metropolitan Region, September 2020<\/em><\/a>\n\nProf. Milica Topalovi\u0107, ETH Z\u00fcrich DARCH, Chair of Architecture and Territorial Planning<\/a><\/em>\nProject team: Karoline Kostka, Ferdinand Pappenheim, Charlotte Schaeben, Jan Westerheide<\/em>\nMuriz Djurdjevic, Teaching team: Karoline Kostka, Ferdinand Pappenheim, Metaxia Markaki, Jan Westerheide, Nazli T\u00fcmerdem<\/em>\n\nProf. Dr. Florian Hertweck, University of Luxembourg FHSE, Master in Architecture<\/a><\/em>\nProject team: Prof. Markus Hesse, Nikolaos Katsikis, Ivonne Weichold, Teaching team: Nikolaos Katsikis, Philippe Nathan, Ivonne Weichold<\/em>\n\nRolf Jenni, Raumbureau A+U Z\u00fcrich<\/a><\/em>\nProject team: Tom Weiss, Giacomo Ambrosini<\/em>\n\nConsultation <\/em>Grand Gen\u00e8ve 2050<\/em><\/a>\nFondation Braillard Architectes<\/em>\n\nKaroline Kostka<\/a> is a landscape architect and research assistant at the Chair of Architecture and Territorial Planning, Institute for Landscape and Urban Studies (LUS) ETH Z\u00fcrich. Since 2013 she has been collaborating with Prof. Milica Topalovi\u0107 on research in Singapore’s cross-border metropolitan region at the Singapore-ETH Centre Future Cities Laboratory (FCL). In 2015, Karoline joined the teaching team in Zurich, coordinating design studio cycles in Arcadia, Belgrade, and Geneva. Since 2018 she has been part of the Consultation Grand Gen\u00e8ve 2050 where she has contributed as researcher and project coordinator.<\/em>\n\nMilica Topalovi\u0107 is an Associate Professor of Architecture and Territorial Planning at the ETH Z\u00fcrich Department of Architecture. Her work is concerned with territories beyond-the-city and urgent transformation processes they are exposed to, through the movement of capital, social restructuring, and environmental change. She undertook a range of territorial studies around the world, in remote regions, resource hinterlands, and countrysides, in an effort to decenter and \u201cecologize\u201d architect\u2019s approaches to the city, the urban, and urbanization. In her recent work, she looks at regions whose social and environmental qualities have been degraded through unsustainable agriculture and resource harvesting practices, with intention to design their transformations on the principles of agroecology.\u00a0<\/em>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With a fast population increase and a high housing demand projected to continue in the coming decades, Geneva encounters a profound challenge. Since decades, the city has been spilling over across the national border. Urban growth and land consumption in the Canton and in the French part of the Genevian agglomeration continue to put pressure […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5645,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"departemente":[138,159,199],"newsletter_ausgabe":[299],"class_list":["post-5643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsletter-artikel","departemente-departement-architektur-d-arch","departemente-institut-fuer-landschaft-und-urbane-studien-lus","departemente-prof-milica-topalovic","newsletter_ausgabe-nl-48"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":23,"label":"Newsletter-Artikel"}],"departemente":[{"value":138,"label":"Departement Architektur (D-ARCH)"},{"value":159,"label":"Institut f\u00fcr Landschaft und Urbane Studien (LUS)"},{"value":199,"label":"Prof. Milica Topalovic"}],"newsletter_ausgabe":[{"value":299,"label":"NL 48"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/xoxo.capsule.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/1.1_Grand-Geneve-et-son-sol-Images-1024x768.jpg",1024,768,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Yaxin Hou","author_link":"https:\/\/xoxo.capsule.ch\/fr\/author\/houya\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":23,"name":"Newsletter-Artikel","slug":"newsletter-artikel","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":23,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":680,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":23,"category_count":680,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Newsletter-Artikel","category_nicename":"newsletter-artikel","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xoxo.capsule.ch\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xoxo.capsule.ch\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xoxo.capsule.ch\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xoxo.capsule.ch\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xoxo.capsule.ch\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5643"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/xoxo.capsule.ch\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5644,"href":"https:\/\/xoxo.capsule.ch\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5643\/revisions\/5644"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xoxo.capsule.ch\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xoxo.capsule.ch\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xoxo.capsule.ch\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xoxo.capsule.ch\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5643"},{"taxonomy":"departemente","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xoxo.capsule.ch\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/departemente?post=5643"},{"taxonomy":"newsletter_ausgabe","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xoxo.capsule.ch\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter_ausgabe?post=5643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}