For ten years, Le Cabanon Vertical has been working on the creation of participatory urban projects. This approach to urban development is characterised by a human-scale urban environment, created with the active participation of various local community partners. Urban development projects are initiated through the expertise and field experience of residents, neighborhood associations, monitoring committees, and others.
The residents involved in the process are made aware of all the tools used in urban development, giving them the keys to understand and actively contribute to the creation of public spaces. The challenge of this participatory approach lies in building a collective and inclusive vision of urban space, fostering a sense of belonging and collective ownership.

Transitional urban planning is an experimental development approach used in existing spaces that are undergoing transformation or evolution. By the production of lightweight urban elements (such as furniture, painting, signage…) in pre-identified spaces, this approach allows to test and support progressive transformations of living spaces through the experimentation of new uses.
We called it a “transitional project” because it creates lightweight, transformable, reversible or removable urban forms. This approach to the urban environment, which differs from traditional methods, enables the conceptualisation of potential developments, the testing of new uses, the enhancement of existing ones and the revitalisation of spaces by encouraging new forms of appropriation.
Discover examples of our transitional urban planning projects in Montpellier, Marseille and Arles.

Developments realised by Le Cabanon Vertical are conceived and designed as “open” structures. By using simple modular shapes, and varying levels and heights, our furniture aims to offer multiple and inclusive way of use. These developments can be perceived as
playful spaces, gathering or resting areas, providing an important liberty of use by the residents.
By creating “open” furniture, we aim to design places of conviviality that offers multiple uses, catering to the needs of diverse public and encouraging shared experiences.
The strength of Le Cabanon Vertical’s work lies in its ability to create installations that bring people together, promote cohabitation and encourage a sense of conviviality.

The work of Le Cabanon Vertical is not just about designing a space. Its approach aims primarily to enhance a new dimension of a place through the creation of an installation. The concept of ‘sculpture-place’, used to describe all the projects, defines the design of a unique installation.
Unique, because its forms and functions are resulting from an in-situ approach, settled in a territory, as well as the relationship it fosters with the space and its inhabitants. More than just an installation, it is a comprehensive work in which the participatory process, as much as the final installation, is part of an artistic framework.
Through its installations, Le Cabanon Vertical seeks to merge with the given environment, formulating a sculptural proposal based on the restrictions and the characteristics of a site.
The white paper "Sculpture-Place : A Public Service", written by Joëlle Zask, focuses on the central concept that inspires Le Cabanon Vertical’s work.

Action training
Taking the form of in-class or on-site workshops, "Formation-Action" (Training Action) aims to pass on theoretical and practical knowledge on the issues and objectives of a transitional urban planning approach, as well as on how to set up a project in public space. This awareness-raising session enables project stakeholders to identify their roles and responsibilities, so as to better support the implementation of these approaches.
A guide of the challenges of transitional urban development :
Published in 2017, this practical guide aims to support institutional players, local structures, operators, students, etc., in the development of transitional planning projects. The aim of this guide is to share and disseminate a common culture around urban planning. This guide was financed by the Métropole d’Aix Marseille Provence and Marseille Rénovation Urbain as a part of the city’s contract programme (Contrat de Ville). The guide is a production of Le Cabanon Vertical.
See the online version of the guide
Urban Nursery Network :
Since 2020, Le Cabanon Vertical has been working alongside UrbaMonde, Le Gret and UrbaSen to lead and coordinate the Urban Incubator Network. This innovative international programme supports and trains project owners and local players in several countries by means of showing new ways to create urban spaces. Within this network, Le Cabanon Vertical contributes its expertise in the fields of transitional and participatory urban planning.
Website of urban nursery

The shared diagnosis covers all the preliminary stages leading to the design of a development project. This first step places the participation of inhabitant at the center of the process. Through participatory workshops and the use of various tools to facilitate social interactions, the shared diagnosis reveals the expertise and lived experience of individuals, thereby helping to identify valuable uses and areas for transitional urban development.
Sensitive map
Capturing the experience of a territory and its inhabitants
A sensitive map is a tool for urban analysis that focuses on inhabitant’s perceptions of spaces. It highlights pathways, routes and areas conducive to urban development by illustrating daily use and various characteristics of urban spaces (such as geographical, climatic, topographical and sociological aspects) gathered through conversations. All of these information, are represented and spatialized on a map that reflects the experiences of inhabitants within the territory.
Box of ideas
Open imaginaries and show all the possibilities
All the conversations conducted by Le Cabanon Vertical have helped identify emerging issues related to representation and understanding of urban development. The need to discuss and consider the development of a space based on a common framework, both semantic and practical, is essential. The ‘box of ideas’ functions like a notebook with references and examples drawn from non-standardized urban projects, allowing to highlights the imaginary of participants.
Le Cabanon Ambulant
Setting up a space to cultivate connections
The first discussions with inhabitants are important moments that allows us to meet new public and establish connections. To facilitate these interactions, we created a mobile piece of furniture for animation : Le Cabanon Ambulant. It takes the form of a converted trailer, designed to temporary activate a space, inviting inhabitants into a setting conducive to discussion and sharing. Le Cabanon Ambulant includes all the necessary consultation and scenographic installations used to set up a space.
Discover some pictures of Le Cabanon Ambulant
Global strategy of transitional urban planning
Plan and map out the transformation of a territory
The global strategy of transitional urban planning is both a tool and a planning step for transitional and tactical actions that support the progressive transformation of a space. Key spaces are identified and mapped out to guide a transitional process over time. These spaces are linked to requalification project, the needs of the inhabitants and micro-interventions that can be quickly implemented.
The main strategy serves as a methodological roadmap adapting to the specific objectives of each project. This strategic approach has been developed for several projects such as the NPNRU Cevennes (HYL group) and the NPNRU Lormont-Carriet (Exit group).

« Assigning the roles of co-producer, co-creator, or consultant in the creative process », Zask, J. 2018. La sculpture lieu, un service public ?
Co-design represents the process of translating an urban program into space, where the inhabitants have an active role as co-designers. Organized around participatory workshops, this phase ensures that the development proposal, which results from the shared diagnostic work, highlights the desires and needs of the users. To achieve this, we implement tools that helps users understand and appropriate the project, such as the ‘martyr sketch’ or tactical devices.
Martyr sketch
Translating the collective intellignece
After the diagnostic workshops, drawings known as ‘martyr sketches’ are emerging. We call them that way because these sketches are shown to the inhabitants to gather feedback and refine the design of a development. Thanks to user input, the project sketch can be adjusted to most accurately reflect the expectations and needs.
Tactical scenography
Prefiguring the transformation of a space
During our workshops we set up efficient spatialization systems, also known as ‘tactical scenography’. Using various tools such as models, prototypes or signage tools and Le Cabanon Ambulant, we animate spaces to create an environment conducive to meetings. These temporary projects give the opportunity to explore new uses, marking the place of future urban developments and encouraging their evolution through user engagement.

The involvement of the public in the development of our urban projects is essential to our work. We have chosen to implement tools such as educational construction programs and collective actions, in which inhabitants, users and participants actively co-create their public spaces.
Educational construction program
To raise awareness and share knowledge
Le Cabanon Vertical has been cooperating for several years with insertion organizations such as Addap13 (https://www.addap13.org/) to implement educational construction programs. Several young residents, mostly adolescents or young adults, temporarily join the production team and actively participate in the realization of the urban developments. Through the construction program, these young residents are trained in wood construction methods and gain awareness of the development of public spaces. This educational tool enables a younger audience, who are often harder to engage in workshops, to take part in the project.
Collective actions
Taking part in the transformation of a space
Collective actions, such as workshops on simple elements like painting, signage or planting, are organised alongside the educational construction program. These activities are open to everyone, bringing together diverse groups including children, adults and seniors, to create a unifying collective experience and foster connections between people.

Each project is punctuated by festive moments separate from the direct management of the project. These moments are intended to bring local key players associated to the project, inhabitants, managers, landlords and associations to create a united project group by using the new urban developments. The organization of these events is usually shared with all the locals (such as associations, resident’s association and social centre) that are engaged in the neighbourhood’s life. Their involvement in the management and organisation is a way of symbolising the ‘handover’ of these developments and giving them ‘the keys of the project’ to its future users.
The site meal is, above all, a shared and festive moment that brings together the different groups involved in the project over a meal. It usually takes place at the end of a project, to highlight the co-construction process, and provides an opportunity to open up the space to everyone.