What’s New in Paris for 2023
Volume XXI, Issue 2
I’m back in Paris and picking up the pieces from where I left off…getting in the swing of what we can expect for the City of Light for 2023. There are some major projects in the works that the city is promoting. On January 10, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo unveiled the main highlights that await Parisians this year:
• Twenty new streets for the safety of schools
• 50,000 m2 of additional green spaces
• Two urban forests in the 14th and 20th arrondissements
• Fifteen solar power plants to promote renewable energy
• Social and solidarity economy: two new places to produce and consume differently
• Urban planning and climate: two major documents to be adopted
• 45 kilometers of new bicycle paths
• Stop transit traffic in the heart of Paris!
• Pacifying the city with the adoption of a Parisian street code
• Restore quality to public transportation
• Fighting to preserve the quality of schools
• Reinforce health actions
• Crèches, museums, libraries…preserve and develop the quality of public services
• Reforming municipal social assistance
• Fight against the isolation of seniors
• 3500 new housing units for families and the middle classes
• 800 new student housing units
• Energy insecurity: 5,000 social housing units renovated
• Champs-Élysées, Concorde, Étoile, Notre-Dame, Porte de la Chapelle…major projects continue
• Security: 1,000 new municipal police officers trained and sworn in
• International relations: Paris, a city of refuge
• A presence at major international summits
• Remembrance: a tribute to those foreigners who liberated Paris
• Culture: opening of the Maison Gainsbourg, reopening of the Théâtre de la Ville renamed…
• Heritage: the Innocents and Stravinsky fountains will be restored to their splendor
• Equal rights: two new spaces for LGBTQIA+ people
• Handicap: acceleration of accessibility work in every neighborhood
• Citizen’s Assembly and Popular Universities to develop democracy
• Preparing for the Olympic and Paralympic Games
Accelerating the ecological revolution, strengthening and developing public services for Parisians, creating new housing, helping families and the most disadvantaged, and preparing for the Olympic and Paralympic Games…are all part of the plan.
Here are highlights of just a few:
Let’s take the 45 kilometers of new bike paths…these include sections of boulevard du Palais and rue du Renard in central Paris, boulevard Saint-Michel and rue Saint-Jacques in the 5th arrondissement, rue de Londres in the 8th arrondissement, and rue Lafayette in the 9th and 10th arrondissements, avenue Parmentier in the 11th arrondissement, avenue d’Ivry in the 13th arrondissement, avenue du Général Leclerc in the 14th arrondissement, rue de Vaugirard in the 15th arrondissement, rue du Général Niox in the 16th arrondissement and rue de Meaux in the 19th arrondissement.
At the beginning of February, Paris will also unveil the map of the “Olympians” that the bicycle associations have proposed. These new paths will link the Olympic sites and will remain in place after the Games.
Finally, Madame Hidalgo has not forgotten about us pedestrians. I’ve been dreaming about stopping the transit traffic in the heart of Paris. According to the City Hall, the heart of Paris will be returned to pedestrians, bicycles, merchants, public transport, and taxi cabs. Fewer cars and fewer two-wheelers also mean less noise. 2023 will see a decisive step in the limited traffic zone (ZTL) to calm central Paris. Following the example of Lyon, Bordeaux, Nantes, Grenoble, Strasbourg or Nice, and other major European cities such as Oslo or Milan, the heart of Paris will be given back to the residents who can enjoy their neighborhoods in peace. At the same time, pedestrian zones in other neighborhoods with the borough mayors will be increased. These changes will be made in close collaboration with Parisians.
Comment: I believe this is a hint of what is expected to happen to districts one through four…become pedestrian. This means that property in these four districts will naturally increase in value when this happens!
This is a step in the right direction…pacifying the city with the adoption of a Parisian street code…to involve Parisians in tomorrow’s solutions the City set up the “Parisian Dialogues” in the last quarter of 2022, which allowed residents to voice a number of concerns. The first of these concerns is road safety and the difficult cohabitation between pedestrians, cyclists, scooters, cabs, delivery vehicles, and buses. Paris is committed to solving these problems with, as early as February, a first major meeting involving residents, experts, and public and private partners, to come up with a “Parisian Street Code.” The Citizens’ Assembly has already started working on it. The deadline is June 2023.
Restoring quality to public transport…in light of the deterioration in service that Parisians have been experiencing over the past few months, Paris will continue, along with other mayors in the metropolis, to call for an end to the privatization of the RATP’s network of bus lines, which is incompatible with the Paris 2024 Games.
800 new student housing units are in the works. Because studying in Paris often means a substantial housing budget, 800 student housing units will be delivered in 2023. What’s more, as in 2022, all young Parisians will be able to find support in terms of health, employment, culture, sports, and housing at Quartier Jeunes, in the former city hall of the 1st arrondissement.
Comment: I wonder where those 800 new units will be?
How about this new tribute to these foreigners who liberated Paris…Americans, I hope! Paris will continue to pass on its history and that of the forgotten. Several schools will be named after them in 2023, so that little Parisians can take ownership of this common history. A tribute will be paid to all the foreigners who liberated Paris. The Place des Tirailleurs-Sénégalais in the 18th arrondissement will be inaugurated shortly. This year will also mark the 80th anniversary of the arrest of the 23 members of the Manouchian group, the Armenians, Spaniards, Italians, Romanians, Hungarians, and Poles who fought for freedom. On this occasion, Paris will say its gratitude for these men from elsewhere. An appeal for the entry of Missak Manouchian into the Pantheon will also be launched.
I saw it just the other day when I passed the Igor Stravinsky fountain that sits on the southern end of the Centre Pompidou. It will be restored to its former glory. Enhancing the value of our heritage, and restoring treasures to their full splendor after their restoration, will be the case this year for the Innocents fountain in the Halles district and the Stravinsky fountain in the Beaubourg district. As for religious buildings, the churches of the Madeleine in the 8th arrondissement, Notre-Dame-de-la-Gare in the 13th arrondissement, Saint-Louis-en-l’île, Saint-Eustache, the Lutheran church of Billettes in central Paris, and Saint-Jean-de-Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement, will be renovated.
The city is gearing up for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games! 2023 will be just as sporty as 2022: the rugby world cup, archery world cup, and NBA game will make the sports vibrate in Paris. But, it will be nothing compared to the party of 2024! The Olympic and Paralympic Games are fast approaching. From April, volunteers will be able to register to join the adventure. That same month, the Olympic and Paralympic week will enter the classrooms so that all children can take part in the celebration. This year will be the year of preparation, with the aim of having 100% ecological Games, which will make the Seine the theater of the event, including the return of swimming in the Seine.
“The Paris 2024 Games will be a global event, the first after the pandemic and, we hope, after the war in Ukraine, the first to celebrate the rediscovered world brotherhood. These are the values of Paris. We will wear them with pride in 2024,” said the mayor of Paris.
Comment: Will the city really be prepared for the Games? And how will real estate be affected? We expected the price of property in the City of Light to increase with the anticipation of the Olympic Games, but it’s done just the opposite. And from what we can see, there is already a big shortage of housing for Olympic fans who will flood into the city. Then, what happens when it’s all over? Stay tuned for more information from us on this topic!
Read the entire report here (in French).
A bientôt,
Adrian Leeds
The Adrian Leeds Group®
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Have missed your insightful comments and information on Paris. You are FABULOUS. Nancy R, Nashville, TN
Thank you!