Ground Floors in Geneva: A Driver of Urban and Commercial Vitality
In 2025, we published an article based on a webinar organised by Wüest Partner, which brought together several experts to analyse the challenges and levers involved in activating ground floors. Among the speakers were Sonia Lavadinho, Founder and Director of Bfluid, José Gonzalez, Director of Bricks AG, and Julien Thiney, Manager at Wüest Partner. The webinar demonstrated that ground floors are not merely commercial surfaces, but genuine catalysts of urban life. The speakers highlighted that well-activated ground floors strengthen social ties, increase pedestrian traffic and enhance neighbourhood attractiveness. Particular emphasis was placed on the quality of shopfronts, the diversity of uses and interaction with the street, as well as on hybrid spaces combining retail, culture and services to encourage strolling and foster local customer loyalty.
Today, the situation is clear: city centres are emptying out. In Geneva, as in many other Swiss cities, commercial vacancy rates have risen significantly in recent years, and central streets are losing their vibrancy. This trend has a direct impact on neighbourhood perception, commercial vitality and the city’s attractiveness to new residents, visitors and retailers. According to data from the Cantonal Office of Statistics (OCSTAT, 2023), the surface area of vacant shops and arcades in Geneva exceeds 23,000 square metres, mainly concentrated in the city centre. Between June 2024 and June 2025, the commercial vacancy rate in the city centre increased by 39%, while the rest of the canton experienced a more moderate rise. These figures underline the urgent need to rethink ground-floor occupation strategies and to revitalise streets in order to maintain Geneva’s attractiveness.
To address this situation, several initiatives have been implemented to support retailers and prevent vacancy. The City of Geneva promotes the pedestrianisation of streets, which encourages strolling and window shopping while improving pedestrian safety and comfort. As part of the modernisation of certain streets, a compensation scheme has also been introduced for businesses affected by construction works, covering part of their rent to limit the negative impact on commercial activity. In parallel, the City has developed digital support and training programmes, notably through the “Mon entreprise digitale” initiative, which helps retailers strengthen their online presence and adapt to changing consumer habits.
However, there are cases where these measures are not sufficient and some shopfronts remain empty, losing their ability to attract customers and generate street life. In this context, more creative initiatives are being explored. In Sion, for example, the city has launched an artistic partnership as part of its “Cœur de ville” programme, transforming vacant premises into temporary exhibition spaces to revitalise the city centre. In Geneva, pop-up stores and temporary rentals also offer promising solutions. A concrete example is the RENFILE Fashion Week, which in December 2024 set up a temporary boutique in a vacant arcade at 10 Quai du Général-Guisan. For several days, the shop offered second-hand clothing and accessories, creating a short-term animation in the city centre while giving value to an otherwise vacant commercial space. Such initiatives demonstrate how temporary occupations can attract passers-by, energise streets and provide opportunities for alternative or responsible projects, while coexisting with permanent retail offerings.
Ground floors therefore remain a central element of urban vitality. Geneva’s experience shows that combining economic support measures, commercial animation, digital assistance and temporary occupation of vacant spaces is an effective lever to strengthen neighbourhood life and maintain the attractiveness of the city centre.
In this context, the role of commercial real estate professionals becomes crucial. Beyond the search for traditional tenants, brokers can support property owners in a broader reflection on how their ground floors are marketed: analysing neighbourhood dynamics and pedestrian flows, identifying alternative or hybrid uses, opening up to emerging, temporary or unconventional concepts, and implementing transitional solutions when appropriate. This approach makes it possible to propose alternatives aligned with evolving urban uses, while contributing to street animation and the long-term value of real estate assets.
Photo credit: Window displays by artist Alix d’Anselme, whom we thank for supporting us in the revamp of our guide to best practices. This image features the window of the store Ziggy on rue de Charonne in Paris.
Have a project in mind? Contact our commercial real estate team:
✉️ commercial@pilet-renaud.ch
+41 22 322 92 80
