Out of 82 submitted projects, seven projects received an award and four a commendation in addition to the winning project. The competition results will be announced at the award ceremony on September 18, 2026, in Biel. The winning project can also be visited during this event.

The «Flâneur d’Or – Pedestrian Infrastructure Award» recognizes projects that improve walking in Swiss cities and villages. The city of Biel wins the main prize, worth 10,000 Swiss francs, sponsored by BURRI public elements AG. The range of awarded projects is broad: it includes footbridges, redesigned squares, footpaths, connecting paths, signage, as well as communication concepts and campaigns. The city of Biel wins the main prize for the second time: in 2017, it was already honored for the redesign of Schüssinsel.

A promenade where previously there were only backyards

The Arthur-Villard-Promenade is located in the east of Biel in the Mett district, the city’s most populous district. The 200-meter-long promenade creates a safe pedestrian and cycle connection, separated from the busy Poststrasse. This connection is particularly useful for children attending the nearby school. However, the promenade serves not only as a pedestrian and cycle path but also as a city park with diverse uses: along the promenade, there are benches, a fountain, a public bookshelf, a community garden, a pavilion, a playground, and an urban fitness area – there is something for everyone. Previously, the area was poorly accessible and unlit. It was primarily used as a parking lot. The design is based on an architectural competition in 2016, which was won by the Westpol Landschaftsarchitektur office from Basel. The promenade was inaugurated in May 2025.

With its simple, bright, and green design, the promenade convinced the jury of the «Flâneur d’Or 2026», which awarded it the main prize. The linear park exemplarily shows how footpaths and public spaces can be transformed into safe and pleasant recreational areas close to the living environments of a district. For Glenda Gonzalez Bassi, the Mayor of Biel, «the Arthur-Villard-Promenade shows how a limited space can be enhanced for the benefit of an entire district. A safe school route and an intergenerational meeting place were created here.» Lena Frank, Municipal Councillor and Director of Construction, Energy, and Environment, adds: «We extended the shared space from the promenade to the adjacent district and the school, so that the entire neighborhood benefits from traffic-calmed and safer streets.» The project was developed with the involvement of the district and combines pathways with opportunities for lingering, playing, and exchanging.

2026 Edition: Increased Focus on Nature

The 2026 edition of the «Flâneur d’Or» recorded a record participation with 82 projects (the last edition in 2023 had 59). The multitude and quality of the projects show that investments are being made in walking. «The diversity of the projects awarded today shows that good solutions have their place in city centers as well as in residential areas or villages. These projects contribute concretely to safe mobility and to a good interaction of different modes of transport. They can serve as a model for further projects throughout Switzerland,» emphasized Jürg Röthlisberger, Director of the Federal Roads Office ASTRA, at the opening of the award ceremony.

As an award that recognizes innovation, the «Flâneur d’Or» evolves alongside the challenges in urban areas. Today, projects consider how they address environmental issues. «The triad ‘water, soil, vegetation’, which received little attention in the 2023 edition, was brought into focus at this twelfth award ceremony,» says Marionna Schlatter, President of Pedestrian Mobility Switzerland and National Councillor, with delight.

The revitalization of urban spaces can also play an important role in improving physical and mental health and coexistence. This criterion, which was also applied for the first time in this edition, will be at the center of Pedestrian Mobility Switzerland’s work in the coming years. This is intended to help planners consistently incorporate the topic into their considerations.