SOA Paris team was warmly invited to participate to the Skate Urbanism festival organized in September by Leo Valls in Bordeaux, France. 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