Ellen Macarthur Foundation. Rethink the future

The future of cities: a take on Paris

• by Joss Blériot
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• 21 Oct 2010
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An exhibition currently held in the French capital shows how the city could adapt to a 2° C temperature rise and integrate sustainable solutions. Created by a group of architects and urban planners, as part of the Parisian Days of Energy and Climate event, the exhibition offers a positive, pragmatic and attractive take on the capital’s potential transformation.

Or should we rather say evolution? Taking a realistic approach, the architects have been careful to integrate new elements within the existing infrastructure rather than painting a futuristic picture regardless of today’s reality. It’s interesting to see that major boulevards – notably the big avenues opened by Haussman in the XIXth century, tearing down chunks of historic Paris in the process – are given back to pedestrians and cyclists, while more recently transformed neighbourhoods are returning to their original vocation.

For instance, the area around Bercy, east of the capital along the river Seine, traditionally was a hub for food produce and wine coming into Paris from the “province”, as well as a trading place for various commodities (coal, wood etc…). It gradually died and was only modernised during the past 30 years – mostly welcoming office buildings, the new Ministry of Finances and the POPB Omnisports hall – but as seen in the image below, the place’s original identity and function could be brought back to life with food production and energy generation. The train lines going into the “Gare de Lyon” are kept underground.

© Collectif "Et alors ?"

Transport playing a crucial role in modern cities, in terms of economic performance and impact on inhabitants’ well-being: in this area like in many others, blanket solutions are not a panacea and it’s interesting to see that taking a fragmented, case-by-case approach, leads to original developments. For instance, looking at the Belleville area which is one of the two highest places of the capital (culminating at roughly 130 metres of altitude), the architects have imagined implementing a network of small-scale solar and electric-powered blimps to carry goods and/or people up the hill, above the existing park. Another idea put forward by the creators of the exhibit would be to use the tramway system for night deliveries…

© Collectif "Et alors ?"

See a slideshow of the exhibited images HERE