Could the French capital city's most neglected area really become 'the new face of Paris'?
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is kicking off her reelection campaign with the promise of a makeover for one of Paris' most notoriously shabby areas.
Plans have been unveiled for a transformation of La Chapelle, a notoriously worn-down part of Paris that was recently describes as “forgotten by the world” by the capital’s main newspaper Le Parisien.
The plans were revealed by Paris en Commun, a cross-party support group for Hidalgo, on Twitter on Monday morning.
Réinventer la Porte de La Chapelle : premier déplacement autour des propositions de campagne d'@Anne_Hidalgo, aux côtés de @StephanTroussel, @EricLejoindre, @IanBrossat, @jlmissika, @ANgatcha9, des urbanistes, des habitants et tous ceux qui font le #GrandParis.#Hidalgo2020 pic.twitter.com/Tw8D4lnmuz
— Paris en Commun (@ParisEnCommun) January 13, 2020
Situated in the far north of the capital, in the eastern part of the 18th arrondissement, La Chapelle is infamous for its worn-down look and crumbling infrastructure.
READ ALSO Inside the sprawling migrant camps at the gates of Paris
A long-time overcrowding of the local refugee shelter at Porte de la Chapelle had about 1,600 migrants setting up a camp in the area.
After clearing the camp last year, local police reinforced security in the area, but local groups say that now around 2,500 people are sleeping rough there - more than before the clear-out.
Toute la nuit, des patrouilles vidéo et dynamiques effectuées par les policiers de @prefpolice ont empêché les tentatives de réinstallation de campements illicites sur le secteur #LaChapelle.
➡️120 personnes évincées au cours de la nuit. pic.twitter.com/t2kpcWwXMN
— Préfecture de Police (@prefpolice) November 13, 2019
With her "unique and experimental initiative," Hidalgo is going for a different approach, aiming to profoundly transform the whole area.
“In a short term perspective I want this new district to become the new Paris," she told Le Parisien.
Anne Hidalgo chose to start her reelection campaign in the capital's most tired area. Photo: AFP
So what is the Mayor proposing exactly?
For one, two of the areas main roads will be made accessible for pedestrians and cyclists, with new bike lanes and a generous amount of trees and plants.
The tweet below shows a before and after-image of one of the streets in question:
En concertation avec les habitants, les communes riveraines et les acteurs publics concernés, @Anne_Hidalgo lancera la transformation de la porte de la Chapelle pour faire de ce lieu de passage un véritable lieu de vie apaisé, végétalisé et attractif. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/AYX6ZJWELF
— Paris en Commun (@ParisEnCommun) January 13, 2020
Secondly, the Mayor's office is looking at plans to create a big square in front of the Arena, one of the locations where the Paris Summer Olympics for 2025 will take place.
There is also talk of an "elevated, green bridge."
However Mayor said that "none of this has been voted on," and that all plans would have to pass through the Parisian City Council for approval.
Comments (1)
See Also
Plans have been unveiled for a transformation of La Chapelle, a notoriously worn-down part of Paris that was recently describes as “forgotten by the world” by the capital’s main newspaper Le Parisien.
The plans were revealed by Paris en Commun, a cross-party support group for Hidalgo, on Twitter on Monday morning.
Réinventer la Porte de La Chapelle : premier déplacement autour des propositions de campagne d'@Anne_Hidalgo, aux côtés de @StephanTroussel, @EricLejoindre, @IanBrossat, @jlmissika, @ANgatcha9, des urbanistes, des habitants et tous ceux qui font le #GrandParis.#Hidalgo2020 pic.twitter.com/Tw8D4lnmuz
— Paris en Commun (@ParisEnCommun) January 13, 2020
Situated in the far north of the capital, in the eastern part of the 18th arrondissement, La Chapelle is infamous for its worn-down look and crumbling infrastructure.
READ ALSO Inside the sprawling migrant camps at the gates of Paris
A long-time overcrowding of the local refugee shelter at Porte de la Chapelle had about 1,600 migrants setting up a camp in the area.
After clearing the camp last year, local police reinforced security in the area, but local groups say that now around 2,500 people are sleeping rough there - more than before the clear-out.
Toute la nuit, des patrouilles vidéo et dynamiques effectuées par les policiers de @prefpolice ont empêché les tentatives de réinstallation de campements illicites sur le secteur #LaChapelle.
— Préfecture de Police (@prefpolice) November 13, 2019
➡️120 personnes évincées au cours de la nuit. pic.twitter.com/t2kpcWwXMN
With her "unique and experimental initiative," Hidalgo is going for a different approach, aiming to profoundly transform the whole area.
“In a short term perspective I want this new district to become the new Paris," she told Le Parisien.
Anne Hidalgo chose to start her reelection campaign in the capital's most tired area. Photo: AFP
So what is the Mayor proposing exactly?
For one, two of the areas main roads will be made accessible for pedestrians and cyclists, with new bike lanes and a generous amount of trees and plants.
The tweet below shows a before and after-image of one of the streets in question:
En concertation avec les habitants, les communes riveraines et les acteurs publics concernés, @Anne_Hidalgo lancera la transformation de la porte de la Chapelle pour faire de ce lieu de passage un véritable lieu de vie apaisé, végétalisé et attractif. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/AYX6ZJWELF
— Paris en Commun (@ParisEnCommun) January 13, 2020
Secondly, the Mayor's office is looking at plans to create a big square in front of the Arena, one of the locations where the Paris Summer Olympics for 2025 will take place.
There is also talk of an "elevated, green bridge."
However Mayor said that "none of this has been voted on," and that all plans would have to pass through the Parisian City Council for approval.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.