SOA Paris' team was warmly invited to participate to the Skate Urbanism festival organized in September 2024 by Leo Valls in Bordeaux: Connect Festival. This invitation was the occasion for us to meet creative & talented people.

At the crossroads of skateboarding & urban planning, Lena Germanese is making her mark. Blending her passion for skating with her professional expertise, she wants to transform how we view & use public spaces.

Léna passed by the Lille (France) bowl every day during her urban planning studies. At 24, she decided to give skateboarding a try, & it instantly clicked. Her background in urban planning, supported by degrees in landscape development, geography & public space planning were quickly bound to skateboarding.

Her project "Boardelaise" was her very first urban skate project. She designed a skate obstacle that was built through a 100% female participatory workshop to highlight women's technical, athletic & intellectual talents.

She explains that for this project, she organized several FLINTA sessions to make sure everyone knew the module was an open, accessible space & to encourage them to take ownership, to feel confident using it on their own.

The module, accessible to all skill levels, was placed in a public space & remained there for two months, until it was eventually worn out from skating.

Photo of Lena @skate_cityplanner

By Jessy N. Marine @jessynmarine