Page - 129 - in Mobile Culture Studies - The Journal, Volume 3/2017

Mobile Culture Studies. The Journal 3 2o17 Patrick Naef | Using mobility and urban planning to implement atmosphere 129 – led the public authorities to name this area ‘Versoix-centre’ and to encourage the population to appropriate this rehabilitated public space. As Cédric Lambert, the mayor of Versoix, points out: ‘We wanted to create a lively centre where people could gather around commercial activities, the plaza, restaurants, cafés.’ (personal communication, 15 September 2016). In addition to the diversity of its activities, the area is also multiform, composed of a varie- ty of subspaces, as described by Marcellin Barthassat, the chief architect of the project: ‘What would connect all these subspaces? […] And there was also this small sentence in the specification of the architectural design competition about “shadow”. But we know that today it’s a problem. How to create atmosphere?’ (Personal communication, 8 March 2017) From the start, the architects recognised the importance of adapting the project to the various types of space that characte- rized the site, and also to the different ‘atmospheres’. In the description of their methodology, conceptualized as ‘vegetal urban development’, they present a vine intended to bring shade and a sense of centrality to this heterogeneous place: ‘It’s an alley connecting the different atmosphe- res, the different spaces, the different points of view. Under the vine we can meet, exchange, contemplate, play, discuss, read or walk as we wish.’5 In the words of Barthassat, architects are seen as ‘atmosphere scenographers’ and public space is considered as a ‘vector connecting diver- se spaces, while preserving their individual identity’. Furthermore, contrary to the German-speaking part of the country, where encounter zones are often the result of popular demand, we are looking here at a process managed by the public authorities. As the municipality’s chief of urban planning states: ‘We are not in the heart of a vil- lage where habitants ask for traffic moderation. Here it is the result of an urban plan. We want a new city-centre and we think an encounter zone is useful.’ (personal communication, 15 September 2016). The process that leads to this kind of urban development, either a top-down procedure initiated by the public authorities or a bottom-up dynamic involving the local population, will without any doubt influence its future use and the various atmospheres associated with it. Local knowledge is primordial to producing adequate atmospheres, raising the question of the inclu- sion of the inhabitants in the decision process. The architects were aware of this problematic, relying on the authorities to get a feeling of the local population’s expectations. Describing the development of the central plaza in the encounter zone, Barthassat insists on the importance of grasping the inhabitants’ needs: ‘The municipality told us that they did not want a luxurious plaza. […] They added that there was a need for water. […] It was the first time that we discussed the status of this plaza. We needed to be very attentive to what the public authorities perceived as the views of the local population, whom they know. They were pointing to a problem that we perhaps could not see.’ (Personal communication, 8 March 2017) Such communication between planners and architects meant the project could be re- oriented towards a more appropriate atmosphere, in a place known to be very hot in summer. The main idea was to feature the aquatic characteristics of Versoix, nestled on the Lake Geneva shore. Some fountains were planned and artificial giant pebbles were brought from Germany to recall the lake’s ecosystem. This plaza and its vine now form the central zone of this urban development. A farmer’s market is organized every Saturday, children play around the fountains in summer and cafes are starting to put their tables outside. (fig. 1) Moreover, a set of steps was installed instead of simple stairs, contributing to the presence of pedestrians, who sit there in 5 Extract from the presentation of the project to the public authorities. (6 October 2009)