Exhibition "Gardening the City" Cité de l'architecture & du patrimoine - Saturday, April 12, 2025, to Sunday, September 21, 2025

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Dive into Gardening the City, an interactive exhibition that explores urban ecology. Models, natural materials, and creative workshops invite both young and old to imagine a sustainable and green city. A playful and sensory adventure for ages 6 and up, at the Cité de l’architecture.

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€13

Exhibition Gardening the City: Buy Your Tickets

Permanent Collections

-Access to the permanent collections
-Access to the temporary exhibition Gardening the City

Design by Max Elbling © Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, 2025

€13

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What to expect

What if the city became a living garden? At the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, the Gardening the City exhibition-workshop offers an interactive, sensory, and committed journey at the heart of an urban metamorphosis guided by nature. A unique opportunity for families, children, curious minds, and dreamers of all ages to (re)discover urban planning through the lens of the living world.

On display in Paris from April 12 to September 21, 2025, this exhibition invites people of all ages to collectively imagine greener, more sustainable, and, above all, more human urban spaces.

🌿 Gardening the City: An immersive journey into the city of tomorrow

A participatory and creative adventure

Designed as a full-fledged exploration space, Gardening the City goes beyond the traditional exhibition format. This is not about following a set path, but diving into an immersive, sensory, and playful experience.

At the heart of this approach is a giant landscape platform, a true creative playground where visitors are free to build their own city. Using wooden modules, natural materials, and various shapes, visitors are invited to shape an urban world reconciled with nature. Shared gardens, green walls, cultivated rooftops, micro-farms, reimagined wastelands... all concrete ideas to manipulate and dream about.

Three key moments for a captivating experience

The exhibition is structured around three complementary spaces, designed to stimulate curiosity and encourage interaction:

🔍 1. Discover: The Wall of Citizen Projects

A visual gallery showcases initiatives from around the world, driven by residents who are reinventing their urban environments. Organized around six main themes (shared gardens, urban agriculture, vertical nature, etc.), these concrete projects inspire a new way of living together.

✋ 2. Handle: The Material Library

A tactile discovery space, the material library gathers samples of local stones, earth, plants... It’s a place to understand the richness of natural materials used in architecture, through touch and experimentation.

🏗️ 3. Build: The Landscape Platform

At the heart of the experience, this large-scale collaborative model invites visitors to build an ideal, modular, and green city. A creative activity that will delight both children and adults.

Why book now?

The exhibition has been a huge success at every stage of its tour across France, and places can fill up quickly, especially during weekends and school holidays. Booking in advance guarantees:

A spot on the most in-demand time slots (family workshops, Wednesdays, holiday activities).
An optimal experience with tailored welcome services based on visitor profiles.
The chance to participate in associated activities, such as creative workshops and events with special guests (authors, architects, illustrators...).

Ticket sales open on April 7, 2025. Don’t wait until the last minute to plan your visit!

Activities for Everyone

Alongside the exhibition, several key events are organized:

"Gardening the City with Family" Workshops: Collaborative construction games to explore urban gardening together.
"A Garden for the House": During spring holidays, children collaborate with an architect to think about the role of plants in homes.
Artists’ Carte Blanches: Meetings with Julien Billaudeau (illustrator) and Nicolas Gilsoul (landscape architect) around their works.

Each activity is designed to extend the visit in a lively and creative way.

Practical Information

📍 Location:
Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine
1, Place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre
75116 Paris

🕒 Opening Hours:
Every day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (except Tuesdays – weekly closure)
Late opening on Thursdays until 9 p.m.

🎟️ Ticket Prices:

Full Price: €13
Reduced Price: €10 (conditions online)

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Exclusive Access:

School groups: Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (excluding school holidays in zone C)
Leisure centers: Wednesdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Family workshops: Weekends and holidays at 3:30 p.m.

🚇 Access:
Metro Trocadéro (lines 6 and 9), exit "Cité de l’architecture"

A Committed Approach to the City of Tomorrow

More than just an exhibition, Gardening the City is a living manifesto to rethink how we inhabit cities. Through the poetry of actions, collective experimentation, and the richness of natural materials, this project invites everyone to actively participate in transforming urban spaces.

Whether you’re passionate about ecology, a parent looking for meaningful activities, a teacher, or simply curious, this sensory experience will leave a lasting… and fertile imprint.

👉 Book from April 7 and take part in the transformation of the city, one plant, one gesture, and one dream at a time.

Build the green city of tomorrow with your group!

Are you organizing an event for a group of over 10 people?

Offer your students or participants a unique sensory experience around sustainable urbanism. Fill out the reservation form now to secure a special slot for Gardening the City.

Feel free to contact us at +33 148-740-510 for any requests.

Common questions

Who is the "Jardiner la ville" exhibition for?

The exhibition is designed for a family audience, accessible from age 6. It also welcomes school groups and leisure centers.

Where is the exhibition held?

It is presented at the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, 1, Place du Trocadéro, Paris 16th.

Is the exhibition suitable for children?

Yes, it is specially designed to stimulate children's imagination with interactive activities and modules to handle.

Is it necessary to book in advance?

Yes, it is recommended to book as soon as the ticket sales open on April 7 to secure your place.

Does the exhibition offer workshops?

Yes, several workshops are planned for families, such as "Jardiner la ville en famille" or "Un jardin pour maison" during the holidays.

What types of activities are offered?

Handling materials, building models, discovering citizen projects... the exhibition offers an immersive and playful approach.

Is it a permanent exhibition?

No, it is a traveling temporary exhibition, renewed at each stage. It will be in Paris until September 21, 2025.

Can school classes attend?

Yes, specific slots are reserved for school groups in the mornings on weekdays (excluding school holidays in zone C).

Is the exhibition accessible to people with reduced mobility?

Yes, the Cité de l’architecture is accessible and equipped to welcome all audiences.

What is the "plateau-paysage"?

It is a central space of the exhibition where visitors build their ideal city using natural modules.

Who designed the exhibition?

It was designed by Aurélie Cottais and Enora Prioul, project managers for mediation at the Cité de l’architecture.

Map

Address

1 Place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre
75116 Paris

Parking lot

Passy, 2 Rue Claude Chahu - 75016 Paris

Public transportation

Trocadéro

Trocadero