Over the past 12 years, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has transformed the city by reclaiming public spaces from cars and enhancing green areas. As she leaves office, her legacy includes turning traffic lanes into parks, planting trees, and creating protected bike lanes, making Paris a haven for cyclists and pedestrians. On a rainy morning, a former busy traffic lane near a major train station now features a park with trees, a bike lane, and a gravel path, illustrating Hidalgo’s vision of a more sustainable and pedestrian-friendly city. This transformation highlights a significant shift in urban planning, prioritizing environmental sustainability and quality of life over car traffic.
QUESTION: How might the changes implemented by Anne Hidalgo in Paris inspire other cities around the world to rethink their approach to urban planning and transportation?
How Paris redesigned itself to be a city of bikes—not cars
