A Roman city founded more than two millennia ago, Lyon is to be savored nose to tail, past to future, literally and figuratively. (And with a Top 5 walkability rank globally, it’s ideally also devoured on foot.) The PATLY project seeks to take the gastronomic capital from 4.6% to 15% food autonomy and provide access to healthy food for all by 2030.
At the merging of the Rhône and Saône rivers, La Confluence, the 370-acre masterplanned remake of the city’s presqu’île, is creating a community of some 12,000 residents and 15,000 employees with multi-generational housing, climate‑ready public realm and the landmark Musée des Confluences. The Voies Lyonnaises public transport cycling network is rolling toward a 220-mile mesh by 2030, with major links from downtown to the suburbs and regional destinations. The investment has given the city the fourth-best Biking ranking on the planet.
Twenty minutes away in Décines, the 50-acre OL Vallée sports and leisure district keeps adding both reasons to linger and economic clout. There’s everything from City Surf Park to the 59,000-seat Groupama arena, home to a Ligue 1 men’s team and also the OL Lyonnes, the world’s best women’s football club in a universe of ascending women’s sports.