Biel/Bienne

The streetscapes of Biel/Bienne, located in the Canton of Berne are part of the “Character Street” project (“rue des caractères, un espace de transit devient espace de vie”), which aims to promote cohabitation between residents and various users of the city’s western sector. Initial discussions have identified key Baukultur challenges related to sense of place, including overcoming the ordinary monofunctional goals of improving, canalizing, and splitting traffic flows on one of the main entrance axes to Nidau and Biel/Bienne. Following the recent abandonment of the A5-Westast highway bypass plan, the area around Bernstrasse has become anonymous and partly neglected.