A day of discussions organized by Le Pré on Saturday, November 15, 2025

On Saturday, November 15, 2025, the Le Pré association is organizing a major day of discussions to rethink “the city from the bottom up” and present its new educational program, which places children at the heart of urban and regional projects.

At Paris-Nanterre University, researchers, architects, artists, and residents will come together to explore a different perspective on the fabric of the city. Alongside philosopher Vinciane Despret, patron of the event, the study day “The city from the bottom up” invites us to think about and build the city at child height—a city that is more lively, more inclusive, and more attentive to the ties that bind residents to their territory.

Created in 2023 by Patrick Bouchain, Bernard Latarjet, and Dominique Lemaistre, the association Le Pré – Parc rural expérimental (The Meadow – Experimental Rural Park) continues and expands on the work carried out for many years by La Ferme du Bonheur (The Farm of Happiness) in the Nanterre area. This day is part of the reflections carried out by the École du Parc rural expérimental, a research and training space founded by the association Le Pré, where students, professionals, and residents experiment together with new ways of shaping the city and the territory, based on living things. It will also be an opportunity to launch a new educational program, open to children and teenagers, in partnership with local educational and community organizations.

Two round tables, attended by Vinciane Despret, will address the place of young people in urban development and sensitive tools for exploring the territory. A presentation of the workshops conducted with the Cerise association will close the day, followed by an exhibition dedicated to the work of the Ferme du Bonheur, retracing its educational and architectural experiences. 

This event is part of the mission entrusted by Paris La Défense to the association Le Pré – Parc rural expérimental to define the programming and plan the management of the Champ de la Garde, a fertile wasteland connecting La Défense to the Seine. This green, tree-lined space, nestled in the heart of a dense urban fabric, overlooks the A14 motorway junction. The ambition of the Le Pré association is to develop an agro-pastoral, educational, and experimental research project that addresses several challenges: strengthening biodiversity, improving accessibility, and inventing new shared uses.

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.: Welcome and introduction to the day
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Round table discussion: “Experimenting with children”
12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Discussion with the audience
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.: Lunch
1:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.: Round table discussion: “Mapping our attachments”
3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.: Discussion with the public
3:45 p.m. – 4 p.m.: Break
4 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.: Feedback from the workshops led by the Cerise association
4:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.: Conclusion by Vinciane Despret and the Le Pré association

As space is limited, please register using this form and notify us of any cancellations

Practical information
Saturday, November 15, 2025 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Paris-Nanterre University, Weber building, W amphitheater