A "small" metro for Greater Lausanne?
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Over time, the city of Lausanne, like the world's brilliant cities, has experienced more than one metamorphosis. Thus, Dr. Jérôme Chenal, architect and urban planner, MER EPFL, Director of CEAT, and head of EXAF, openly emphasized, among other things, the dynamic impulse of the urban landscape thanks to the M2 metro line. Moreover, between the practical usefulness of urban infrastructures and the picturesque character of the capital of Vaud, certain disparities inherent to mega-urbanization are emerging.
Jérôme Chenal highlights the fact that the face of the city of Lausanne has changed a great deal over the past 23 years. For example, the development of the M2 subway line in Lausanne has radically changed the dynamics of the city. The line starts at the foot of the Vaud administrative center, not far from the port of Ouchy, and ends on the outskirts, at the city-countryside border, in Épalinges. The M2 thus makes it possible to cross the city from north to south in about 20 minutes, which has helped to bring the city and the countryside closer together, redefine the sense of centrality and improve the image of Lausanne. Trips that were once impossible due to time constraints are now routine.
The long, fast and steep line - 14 stations and a difference in altitude of 338 meters - facilitates journeys that were previously difficult to make because of Lausanne's steep incline. Jérôme Chenal attributes to the M2 line, beyond its practical function, the improvement of the city's image. "A number of factors have led Lausanne and its suburbs to become more dynamic over the past 23 years, and the metro is one of them," he explains. "The Lavaux was classified as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2007, the EPFL has gone from a very good Swiss engineering school to one of the best polytechnics in the world, and there's still the Tuilière stadium, inaugurated in 2020."
He points out further that, however, the metro is not without perverse effects, such as creating an increase in property values in the Flon district, pushing the poorest people to the periphery. Similarly, not all businesses benefit from the wealthy status of the Flon district, as the metro can contribute to the decline of establishments by bringing too much competition.
So, he adds, in Épalinges, the natural landscape has been gradually replaced by building development, such as the establishment of the Biopôle buildings in 2008, a vast park bringing together scientific companies, the inauguration of Aquatis in 2017, the largest freshwater aquarium in Europe, and soon, perhaps, by the construction of a new neighborhood, Le Closalet.
As for the future, Jérôme Chenal adds that due to the rejection of new housing proposals in the center of the city, public transport will continue to develop towards new growth poles further away, such as a streetcar line between Flon and Renens, as well as the future M3, linking the train station to the Blécherette district. The construction of neighborhoods such as Plaines-du-Loup, near the small airport of Lausanne, is also planned. Indeed, the face of the capital of Vaud is likely to change once again, concludes Jérôme Chenal.
Read the full article on: https://www.letemps.ch/suisse/petit-metro-grand-lausanne