La Tène railway station area

At La Tène, the area comprising the railway station, the shopping center and its surroundings, as well as the cantonal Littoral Est Economic Development Hub (PDE), is of strategic importance both at the scale of the agglomeration and the municipality. It is also destined for profound transformations driven by the various stakeholders present on the site (BLS, industrial and commercial enterprises, and the canton). Intercommunal studies and subsequently the agglomeration project had already identified it as the “Eastern Hub” of the Neuchâtel lakeshore region.

It is further designated as a station hub in both the Cantonal Master Plan and the Agglomeration Project (PA4). The municipal territorial project (first stage of the zoning plan) has also highlighted it as a site of major importance. For its part, the canton has developed a Master Plan for the Littoral Est PDE, which is now nearing completion.

To meet this challenge, the municipality has decided to launch a process bringing together experts, business leaders and landowners to ensure that the coordination of the various projects on this objectively complex site is commensurate with the stakes. The approach must simultaneously address the needs of the different stakeholders and provide the community with high-quality public spaces that will enhance the urban environment, thereby ensuring the site’s role as a future regional hub.

This call for ideas (in accordance with SIA Regulation 143) will allow invited teams to develop different scenarios and provide the arguments enabling the municipality to debate and then decide on the most relevant strategy and project — not only technically and financially, but also in terms of building consensus. The chosen format, a multi-stage study without a designated winner, has been selected precisely because it maximizes exchange between elected officials, landowners, and professionals, with the aim of establishing a shared, high-quality vision for this strategic site.