Jerome Chenell Loves to smell the city air. Immerse yourself in their energy, atmosphere, light. Get down on the terrace of a cafe and observe people “to understand those little things that reveal the hierarchy of behavior and values”. As he runs, he likes to create chronicles or other short forms with “triturated ideas.” “But most of my work is writing emails, exchanging via WhatsApp and making phone calls”, he sums up with a laugh, assuring that no, it’s not a joke.
For nine years, this architect-turned-urban planner has been operating Community of Studies for Spatial Planning (CEAT) at EPFL., which conducts multidisciplinary research on urban issues. His second hat: the center’s director of education Excellence in Africa (EXAF), another Institute of EPFL, as its name suggests, promotes excellence in research across the African continent “in fields far away from me, but fascinating”. For example, one project on poisons against Parkinson’s disease and another on the use of inedible plants for the production of biofuels.
Traveling man
It was at his CEAT office that he made the appointment, and Wink warned that there might be some cobwebs: at normal times, he is rarely there, preferring to work in a café or bistro in the center of Lausanne. , where he lives. A visceral need to move out, move, communicate? Of course. Maybe because of getting used to airport lounges, public transport and makeshift desks in hotels. Because, always, this native of Jura travels. in Africa for his professional activities, and elsewhere in the world with his family. Tireless, with a penchant for metropolises. “When you’re born in Porandrui and live for eighteen years, you love the countryside or, at some point, you let the big cities seduce you.”
In Africa, he encounters it as a child, interacting with Maasai necklaces, figurines and other objects that his maternal grandparents, Jura entrepreneurs, brought back from their travels in Kenya, Ivory Coast, Togo, Ethiopia… At 17, he set foot on the continent for the first time. , in Morocco, then in Senegal. Since then, his dream of working there and focusing on cities took shape. With his architecture degree in hand, he joined an office specializing in urban projects in Africa, creating his own company in parallel and then dedicating his thesis to urban planning.
Today he works in 18 African countries and goes there once or twice a month. His role: “Mainly meeting people and trying to align the planets so that plans come true”. As in Benin, a few weeks ago, within the structureAfrican Cities Lab, an online course platform on the sustainable development of African cities in the face of rampant urbanization. “I always try to maximize. If I don’t do at least three things in a country, I don’t go there. The goal is to be here with my wife and our two kids, not always on the other side of the world!
After twenty-three years traveling between two continents, the man learned to deal with cultural differences. He is very sensitive to the fact that there are no universal solutions in the field of urban planning or ethics that can be transferred from one context to another. “What interests me is trying to understand if someone has a different frame of reference than mine. When we open up to the possibility of a multiverse, we find incredible richness.
Common sense and reflection
The city planner calls for “a reconfiguration of some ideas,” such as densification at all costs, “maybe good for mobility, but not in terms of heat islands, pollution, biodiversity and soil infiltration.” Because of this order, he worries that we have lost the relationship between climate and urban forms, and finds that “we have a lot to learn from the cities of the South”, which are more resilient in the face of risks. “Common sense dictates that we sit down and think about what we’re doing for five minutes instead of finding a system that allows us to continue as before by changing problems like electric cars every time.
Inexplicable, Jerome Chenall? “These are questions I’ve been thinking about for over twenty years and I’m passionate about it.” Witness the three shelves of books in his office, all of which he read. He wants to write more like his column days World Africa. “But with the flow of emails and day-to-day administrative stuff, it’s a small part of my job and a big frustration. But I try to improve myself and free up time to bring this added value.
profile
1973 Born in Porandreuil.
1999 Diploma in Architecture with Project for Mosque in Motorway Service Areas.
2009 Doctoral thesis on the planning of African cities.
2014 Siet was appointed as the director of the laboratory.
2020 Appointed Director of Education of EXAF.
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“Avid gamer. Social media geek. Proud troublemaker. Thinker. Travel fan. Problem solver.”