Geneva: rigot park, precious laboratory: This article explores the topic in depth.
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Geneva: rigot park. For example, precious laboratory:
Urban Renaturation in Geneva (4/5)
The Rigot park, precious laboratory for soil and common good management – Geneva: rigot park, precious laboratory
Close to international organizations, this public park is also the field of multiple experiments intended to test the lasting and co -opted implementation of nature in the city.

The nursery of the Rigot park.
- The Rigot park in Geneva serves as an experimental laboratory to set up a lasting nature in the. Similarly, city.
- A nursery and a microForêt are the subject of in -depth scientific studies.
- Pushed soil analyzes geneva: rigot park, precious laboratory improve future urban plantations.
- Development projects actively involve the participation of residents of the neighborhood.
In Geneva, it is a somewhat special public park. Nevertheless, Far from being well ordered as can be the most noble green squares in the city. Moreover, the Rigot park generates a slightly wild atmosphere and a bit anarchist, with its crazy herbs on its upper part, its nursery, its microforêt, its dear pond with frogs, its community vegetable garden, all accompanied by its decaying master’s house.
This disorderly little side has nothing to chance. In addition, because this site in the Nations district is now a place of permanent experimentation, a rare space in the heart of the city.

The Villa Rigot and its aisle.
Let’s go back up time. Consequently, In the 15th century. Similarly, the place was part of the immense agricultural domain of Varembé, a campaign made up of vast meadows. Similarly, Three centuries later. In addition, the estate was fragmented in favor of large owners, including the Rilliet-Fatio family, which, in 1763, had a master house geneva: rigot park, precious laboratory built on its land, that which is today called Villa Rigot, named after its owner in the 19th century. Therefore, The house. its outbuildings are highlighted by classic French gardens, the estate is also equipped with a large vegetable garden. To reach the house, we cross an alley bordered by chestnut trees of the Balkans.
Geneva: rigot park. precious laboratory – Geneva: rigot park, precious laboratory
Real estate pressure
With the arrival of the League of Nations in 1934 and the development of large avenues (from France, Peace), the Rigot campaign shrinks and fails to disappear under real estate pressure. In the 1940s. she owed her salvation to her donation – subject to preservation – at the University of Geneva by the owner of the time, the American philanthropist and patron John D. Rockefeller.
This will not prevent him from being mistreated geneva: rigot park, precious laboratory later. from the 1960s, with a succession of human constructions and interventions which considerably impoverished his soil.
The Rigot park. now owned by the canton, has been the object for several years of a requalification “which aims both to restore to the park its historical identity and its landscape qualities, and to serve as a laboratory for the creation of public spaces”, explains Tiphaine Bussy-Blunier, landscape architect. Project chef at the OCAN (Cantonal Office of Agriculture and Nature), she is responsible for monitoring this pilot project.

The pond, south of the park.
We therefore test here certain types of urban renaturation arrangements capable of being reproduced elsewhere in the city. As. on the lower part of the estate, this biotope basin, created in 2024, promoting biodiversity in urban areas, also used for the retention of rainwater and bringing a place of relaxation to the population. The park hosts a nursery whose trees will be transplanted along the new tram route. on the road to Ferney, while the evolution of a microForêt with different types of species is the subject of monitoring since 2022.
The ground under the magnifying glass
Less visible for the general public. but of high importance, are the experiences carried out on the regeneration of the soil. Malmed in the past. the ground of the Rigot countryside is of poor quality, compacted, even polluted in certain places, therefore little conducive to the development of large trees.
One of the park’s historic rehabilitation projects. the large trees, now lime trees rather than chestnut trees, revealed the extent of the problem: planted ten years ago, the trees hardly pushed. “This is the demonstration that in matters of arborization policy. the criterion of the presence of full land is not enough. We must be concerned with the quality of the soils, ”observes Tiphaine Bussy-Blunier. “In three places in the park. analyzes were carried out on the quality of the soil and regeneration techniques have been experienced, as many useful geneva: rigot park, precious laboratory lessons for other areas that we would like to wear.”
Collective governance
But in Rigot, we do not only test arrangements or techniques. We are also interested in the collective governancewith the idea that the participation of user communities is essential. for the sustainable management of public goods. Park’s projects. such as the collective vegetable garden which refers to the vegetable activities of the past, are thus decided and developed on the basis of participatory workshops, a model of governance transposed to other spaces in transition in Geneva.

High herbs, north of the park.
“The park is thus constantly evolving. projects by bringing others,” underlines the landscape architect, wishing that this dynamic is not transient until the realization of the Park Rigot Park. “In terms of regional planning, we sometimes tend to want to freeze things. However, this land in the heart of the city is a real chance. At the time of the challenges of ecological transition, it is an extremely precious laboratory of living and social. ”
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