Over time, the city of Lausanne, like the brilliant cities of the world, has experienced more than one metamorphosis. Also, Dr. Jérôme Chenal, urban architect, MER EPFL, Director of CEAT and head of EXAF openly underlined, among other things, the dynamic impulse of the urban landscape thanks to the M2 metro line. Moreover, between the practical utility of urban infrastructures and the picturesque character of the capital of Vaud, certain disparities inherent in mega-urbanization are emerging.
Jérôme Chenal highlights the fact that the face of the city of Lausanne has changed a lot over the last twenty-three years. The development of the M2 Metro Line in Lausanne has dramatically changed the dynamics of the city. The line begins at the foot of the Vaud Administrative Center, not far from the port of Ouchy, and terminates at the outskirts, the city-countryside border in Épalinges. As a result, the M2 makes it possible to cross the city from north to south in a space of twenty minutes, which has contributed to bringing the city and countryside closer together as well as redefining the meaning of centrality and improving the image of Lausanne. Trips that were once impossible due to time constraints are now routine.
The long, fast and sloping line—featuring 14 stations and a 338-meter drop—facilitates passages which were otherwise arduous to traverse due to Lausanne being extremely downhill. Jérôme Chenal credits the M2 line, beyond its practical function, for improving the city’s image. “A bundle of elements have led Lausanne and its outskirts to become more dynamic over the past twenty-three years, and the metro is one of them,” he explains. “Lavaux was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007, EPFL went from being a very good Swiss engineering school to one of the best polytechnics in the world, and there is still the Stade de la Tuilière, inaugurated in 2020.”
He further points out that, however, the metro is not without its adverse effects, such as creating an increase in the value of real estate in the Flon District, pushing the poorest to the outskirts. Likewise, not all businesses benefit from the wealthy status of the Flon District as the metro can contribute to the decline of establishments by bringing in too much competition.
Also, he adds that 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 European freshwater aquarium, and soon, perhaps, through the construction of a new district, Le Closalet.
As for the future, Jérôme Chenal specifies that due to new housing proposals being rejected in the center of the city, public transport will continue to develop toward new, more distant growth poles, such as a tram line between Flon and Renens, as well as the future M3, linking the station to the Blécherette District. Also planned is the construction of districts such as Plaines-du-Loup, near the small Lausanne airport. Indeed, the face of the Vaud capital is inclined to change its appearance once again.
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