Abstract
From the 20th century major cities have engaged to win back their waterfront, especially river banks. This process often characterizes by landscape operations and public spaces design in order to “give back” the banks – once use for industrial purpose – to the inhabitants. However fewer are the cities to attempts at small urban river restoration. In the Rize’s case – a former river in Lyon entirely wiped off in its downstream – the renaturation process has to be more complete and precise, has the river do not flow into its outlet anymore. In that perspective, a multidisciplinary team design an urban project around the Rize’s recreation. The team was led by the Greater Lyon water management service. After a complete diagnosis, taking into account the technical characteristics, the history and the public’s opinion, a new stream for the Rize was proposed. In the end, the project has to answer tow scales of stakes. Locally: surveys and exchanges allowed the Greater Lyon to establish a dialogue with the inhabitants and everyday users of public spaces. The purpose was to materialize a simple study into a real ground project. For the greater Lyon : the study has opened the possibilities, once unimaginable, in terms of public spaces management and offered new, innovative solutions to many problems that are facing cities nowadays.