Lyon: Nelson Mandela Park, a new "breathtaking place" to the east of the Part-Dieu district

After the opening of the North Pointe in December 2023 , the Nelson Mandela Park is opening (completely) to the Part-Dieu district, in the 3rd arrondissement of Lyon, since this Monday, May 19 and its official inauguration. Several dozen residents or simply curious people had checked the appointment and gathered around the children's play areas despite the raindrops.

Younger residents were already enjoying the new spaces when the mayor of the 3rd arrondissement, Marion Sessiecq, described the new park as " a real breathing space in the heart of the city " and a " bet on the future ." " A sign that approval is beginning to be gained ," smiled Lyon's mayor, Grégory Doucet.

This new space, a stone's throw from the Part-Dieu train station, replaces a historically industrial site, " which was a parking lot or even a vacant lot," Marion Sessiecq recalled. Playgrounds, concrete bleachers, sports equipment, and a dog run have now been installed on and around the Nelson Mandela esplanade. A few meters away, in the southern section, the outdoor nursery is also being installed and will integrate this new space.

The project spanned over 4 hectares, 70% of which (compared to 39% previously) is now planted. More than 450 trees have been added to the existing 332. €7.2 million was invested in this development, under the project management of SPL Lyon Part-Dieu.

Its director, Florent Sainte Fare Garnot, adds: " Through Mandela, in a way, we are inaugurating an eastern border of Part-Dieu, which for a very long time looked to the West. There was a certain hemiplegia all the same. Mandela Park is the birth of a centrality in the east, which we realize how much it is endowed with businesses, housing and facilities ."

But the development of this eastern section is not completely finished. Work on Avenue Félix Faure is still underway to allow for the arrival of the high-speed bus service, which will serve Part-Dieu and Sept Chemins, the first part of which is expected to be operational in 2026 (the crossing of Avenue Félix Faure could be completed as early as this fall).

" The transformation of Part-Dieu began several decades ago. It feels like we've only ever known Part-Dieu as a construction site. And finally, we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel ," says Bruno Bernard, president of the Lyon Metropolitan Area, with a relieved smile.

In addition to the tram lines and the BHNS, sections of Lyon's Routes 10 and 11 will also be added, as they are part of the postponements undertaken by the local authority. " Sytral Mobilités is also studying the installation of a work of art around the future bus station ," the Metropolis also indicates.

Read also: Lyon: a wood at Part-Dieu, work begins for several months