Usage Labs

Temporary installations accompanying the transformation of Perdtemps, the train station area, and the lakefront

About this process

Launched in 2017, the City of Nyon’s “laboratoires d’usage” are participatory initiatives designed to support the redevelopment of iconic public spaces, including Perdtemps, the area around the train station, and the lakeshore.

With an innovative and original approach, the City of Nyon is working to involve citizens in discussions about the future of the municipality, particularly in terms of urban planning. Through “usage labs,” the goal is to invite residents to help shape the city’s central public spaces so that they better meet their expectations.

These so-called intermediate, lightweight, and low-cost initiatives allow citizens to get involved and contribute to the discussion surrounding major projects that will ultimately transform the cityscape.

From season to season, these temporary installations evolve based on how they are used and the feedback gathered through observations, street interviews, and other forms of engagement.

These spaces allow

To support the redevelopment of public spaces by proposing 1:1-scale prototypes of the final design projects
To envision the future of the space and help it evolve through user experience, regardless of each person’s ability to read plans

The First User Labs

This participatory approach arose from an urgent need to renovate the playgrounds at Perdtemps and La Grande Jetée, which no longer met safety standards.