The project, announced by the Geneva cantonal government on Tuesday, will begin construction this month, aiming to transform the area between the Bernex park and ride and Chemin des Tacons into an urban green space the size of central Geneva’s Eaux-Vives park. 

 

The as yet unnamed development will include a children’s play area, a vast area for outdoor leisure activities, walkways, cycle tracks and shaded areas created by the planting of 200 trees. 

 

It will also include an urban farm with vegetable plots and orchards managed by locals, the idea being to “bring city dwellers closer to the countryside,” according to a cantonal press release. Products from the farm will be sold at a market. 

 

Aiming to promote biodiversity, the green space will provide a welcoming environment for birds, hedgehogs and other small animals, said the statement.

 

Estimated at 13 million francs, the new park forms part of the development of the area, which will include the building of 1,600 homes in the next few years. 

 

“This park responds to the local population’s growing need for access to public green spaces,” said Geneva councillor Antonio Hodgers. “It is particularly important to act where new homes are planned, like here in Bernex.”

 

Construction is expected to take two years, with the park therefore scheduled to open in summer 2021.