
Paris Will Create the City's Largest Gardens Around the Eiffel Tower - gmck
https://www.citylab.com/design/2019/05/eiffel-tower-garden-paris-metro-design-history-car-free/589993/
======
brandur
I'm continually impressed by the efforts of Parisian politicians to improve
their cityscape. (Aside from this, see their removal of motor traffic along
the Seine [1] and tightening restrictions on polluting cars [2].) It speaks
very well to their fiscal management too that they're able to fund the project
through ticket sales, and don't need to levy any new taxes or bonds.

Being a North American resident, it really makes me wonder what it would take
to build political will for these types of projects on this side of the ocean.
In San Francisco, closing even one part of one street to auto traffic is
something that seems to be impossible — even for projects that _should_ be
relatively uncontentious like closing some of the highways through Golden Gate
Park, making the most pedestrian heavy parts of famous streets like Haight,
Castro, or Lombard pedestrian-only, or taking private cars off Market Street.
And quite sadly, SF is considered to be a walking-friendly city relative to
others on the continent.

It's nice that someone is acting as a guiding light for the rest of the world,
especially when it's a city of Paris' fame/importance.

\---

[1] [https://www.citylab.com/solutions/2016/09/paris-seine-car-
pe...](https://www.citylab.com/solutions/2016/09/paris-seine-car-pedestrians-
quay-ban/501788/)

[2] [https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2016/05/paris-is-
bann...](https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2016/05/paris-is-banning-cars-
built-before-1997/484895/)

~~~
quotz
London is so much more well kept than Paris for some reason. I went to Paris
last year and the city was terrifyingly dirty, with layers of dirt struck on
the walls of beautiful buildings, darkened by it. Stuff under construction was
also mismanaged and often just poorly done. Scaffolding was very poorly done
all around the city. After midnight I felt quite unsafe even in good
neighbourhoods. I feel like London as a city is way better kept than Paris

~~~
Jgrubb
"Terrifyingly dirty"? The simple way they clean the gutters with the fountains
on the corners is amazing to me as an American.

Layers of dirt on beautiful buildings? They're several hundred years old.

Felt quite unsafe even in good neighborhoods? I spent all last week there, on
foot, at all hours alone and never once felt unsafe. It occurs to me now that
maybe that's my male privilege so apologies if that's not the case for you but
Paris is the greatest city in the world as far as I'm concerned.

~~~
brmgb
> "Terrifyingly dirty"? The simple way they clean the gutters with the
> fountains on the corners is amazing to me as an American.

As a Parisian, I can sadly attest that the city is currently disgustingly
dirty, that it has been getting worse and worse in the five years since I
moved there and that London is indeed a lot cleaner.

Paris suffers from a lot of incivilities, very lax policing, the current mayor
puting cleanliness as a non priority and extremely poor supervision of the
existing cleaning crews.

It has become such a pain point for Parisian that cleanliness is likely to be
the main issue of next year electoral campaign.

~~~
noobermin
I will never forget when I visited Paris as a tourist and in the green patches
of grass in front of the Eiffel tower where everyone sets down their blankets
and takes selfies is littered with Heineken bottle caps and cigarette butts,
it was so uniformly covered in the things that I took a picture of it to
remind me. I sort of got that Heineken and smokes are super popular there (at
least amongst the touristy areas) but still.

May be the non-touristy areas are also considered dirty by you, but I'm an
American, where we treat public places like shit but make sure interiors and
the entrances near parking is pretty and the rest of the fucking street is
trash since no one other than me apparently walk it. To me, the "grime" I see
seems normal if not a little nicer than any city in Ohio.

------
carlob
There is something to be said about the democratic process that brought us to
this: the Paris administrative division is home to a little over 2 million
people, but the city doesn't really end at its administrative borders (75 in
this [0] map. The city border stopped tracking the city growth 150 years ago
[1].

Most of the people who live in Paris proper enjoy the metro, multiple bike
sharing and electrical scooter options, those who can't afford to live within
city borders (which outnumber the Parisians 5-to-1) are forced to use the RER
(light railway) or private cars.

The effects of the policies that reduce private traffic in the city proper
extend far beyond the administrative borders, and the 2016 decision to ban
cars from parts of the Seine banks has increased traffic dramatically outside
of Paris, but damaging only people who don't vote for the mayor of Paris.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for a reduction in private vehicle use, but I
think that a solution can only be found by integrating the whole region in a
single administrative division and eliminating this notion of first and second
class citizens of Paris.

[0]
[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Paris_uu...](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Paris_uu_ua_jms.png)

[1]
[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Paris_Hi...](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Paris_Historical_Population.png)

~~~
liotier
> RER (light railway)

RER is heavy rail - Ligne A's trunk shifts 50k pax/hour each direction. With,
among other efforts, the extended Ligne E and Ligne 14, there are serious
network upgrades on the way to meet the challenge.

Indeed the only people angry at how Paris is taking back public space from
cars are those who insist on taking a personal car into Paris, which is
puzzling stubbornness where there are so many other options.

I live in Courbevoie, outside Paris and cycle there daily - I couldn't be
happier and I don't feel second class at all. Placemaking is the future:
cities are living places, not car sinks.

~~~
baud147258
Considering the traffic jams we have around Paris, I'd say the people who take
their personal car don't have a choice, with poor/no public transportation on
their commute.

~~~
seszett
Well if you believe this: [https://www.paris.fr/actualites/a-paris-
seuls-22-des-conduct...](https://www.paris.fr/actualites/a-paris-seuls-22-des-
conducteurs-ont-reellement-besoin-d-un-vehicule-3876)

Then most people who drive in Paris 1. don't need to ( _according to those
drivers asked_ , 72% didn't really "need" to drive) 2. are not poor people
(64% CSP+) 3. aren't driving for work (20% were professionals - that's mostly
an answer to the sibling comment to yours though) 4. drive within Paris rather
than from the periphery (50%)

Now, that study was made by the city of Paris so maybe it's biased, but I'm
pretty sure there is some truth in it.

~~~
baud147258
The study was also done on a small number of people (1127) on a very small
area right in the middle of Paris and is 4 years old; of the people studied
half of them were delivery drivers, reducing further the amount of data.

------
noneeeed
This looks like a great idea. I think we deperately need to green our cities
as much as we can. We need to make them as healthy and pleasant places to live
as we can. I hope this is part of a trend.

One of the things that struck me when I visited Paris was what felt like a
lack of green spaces that you could actually enjoy. I find London much more
pleasant because there are so many more parks you could go to cool off.

I enjoyed my visit to Paris, but I didn't particulalry like most of the city
itself, it was clogged with traffic and was stifflingly hot. I can understand
why so many Parisians try to get away from the city during the summer. Most of
it certainly didn't feel particularly "romantic".

One park we went to had "keep off the grass" signs everywhere, so everyone was
crammed into one strip of grass. It wasn't like the off-limit parts were
particulalry special or anything, just grass with a few poorly tended flower,
it just seemed to be an attitude of "look but don't touch". It was hot, dry
and dusty. The London parks on the other hand are much more inviting to me,
often less formal, geared towards people actually spending time in them,
having a picnic/BBQ or playing games. And with the congestion charging, the
traffic does seem to have improved a lot.

Of couse, not being a Parisian I might have just missed all the hidden parks,
but we tried hard to find pleasant places, but struggled.

~~~
masklinn
> Of couse, not being a Parisian I might have just missed all the hidden parks

Probably not that much, you can pick it up through google maps: Paris has
large parks & forests outside the city (boulogne, vincennes, meudon, …) but
only a few very small parks within city limits (the largest green space is the
Père-Lachaise cemetery), nothing like Regent's or Hyde's.

It's really flagrant using the satellite view at about the same zoom level
(using the scale), it's as if london had no major park closer to city center
than Hampstead (though both boulogne and vincennes are quite a bit larger than
Hampstead, they're on the same scale as Richmond Park).

~~~
seszett
> _only a few very small parks within city limits (the largest green space is
> the Père-Lachaise cemetery)_

It might be a detail, but the two large parks (Boulogne and Vincennes) are
within the city limits.

Also I don't know London very well, but from Google Maps I see almost no
greenery in the center, while Paris' parks are maybe smaller but much more
evenly distributed throughout the city.

~~~
chrisseaton
> I don't know London very well, but from Google Maps I see almost no greenery
> in the center

Are you joking?

Regent's, Hyde, Kensington, Green, St James, Battersea, Burgess, Kennington,
Coram's, Russel Square, Lincoln's Inn...

Look at all the green areas on the map.

[https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5160429,-0.1466301,14z](https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5160429,-0.1466301,14z)

~~~
seszett
You have to compare at the same scale though:

Paris:
[https://www.google.fr/maps/@48.85615,2.3306852,14z](https://www.google.fr/maps/@48.85615,2.3306852,14z)
/
[https://www.google.fr/maps/@48.862458,2.3322563,12.75z](https://www.google.fr/maps/@48.862458,2.3322563,12.75z)

London:
[https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5160429,-0.1466301,14z](https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5160429,-0.1466301,14z)
/
[https://www.google.fr/maps/@51.5184651,-0.1436204,12.75z](https://www.google.fr/maps/@51.5184651,-0.1436204,12.75z)

The parks in London just look larger and fewer, not very evenly distributed,
to me.

~~~
chrisseaton
London has over three times the green space of Paris.

[http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/data/of-public-
green-...](http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/data/of-public-green-space-
parks-and-gardens)

------
isaacn
From the last paragraph in the article "But perhaps the most striking element
of the tower makeover is how it fits into a bigger story: the ongoing campaign
to reclaim Paris from private motor vehicles" for some reason this randomly
reminded me of a quote from Steve Jobs about the Segway when it launched
predicting they would 'build cities around it' (ref:
[http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/ptech/12/03/scooter.unveiling/T...](http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/ptech/12/03/scooter.unveiling/This)
) Large cities starting to ban cars in the city center might finally be that
opportunity for Segway like devices to really flourish (not to mention powered
and unpowered scooters, bicycles, skateboards, etc).

~~~
hn_throwaway_99
The Segway was the Apple Newton of it's time - the right idea but too early
for all the pieces to be in place. I feel that all the dockless scooters and
bikes that are becoming so popular (despite their controversy) have a good
chance of remaking a lot of cities.

~~~
masklinn
> The Segway was the Apple Newton of it's time - the right idea but too early
> for all the pieces to be in place.

Not that great an idea though, because of its width low on the ground it's
quite hostile to sharing space with others, much more so than a bike or a
scooter.

------
noneeeed
Bit of a tip for anyone thinking of visiting Paris who is sad they won't get
to go in Notre Dame, head up the hill from Montmartre to the Basillica Sacré-
Cœur. While it's not as old or as well known, it was far more interesting to
me. However that might just be because I've been to endless cathedrals/abbeys
in the UK and so ND was just more of the same.

Sacré-Cœur is well worth the walk, and benefits from being up the hill, away
from the traffic, and surrounded by greenery. Montmartre is definitely one of
the nicer parts of Paris. I could have happily skipped most of the rest of the
city, but MM was worth a wonder round.

~~~
Angostura
Agreed - stayed in Montmartre last year and the area around Sacre-Coeur is a
gem.

------
Silhouette
I wish them luck. The Eiffel Tower is quite a place to visit, and it's true
that the road traffic in the area diminishes it. Paris has some very nice
gardens already, but in such a built-up city it's surely a benefit if they can
create one more. And while there always seems to be a great party atmosphere
in the good viewing spots for the light show, making them less concrete and
more park seems likely to improve that too.

Sadly, the area has also been diminished in recent years by all the security
around the tower itself. While understandable given actual violence that has
occurred there in the past, and even with efficient and professional security
staff doing the checks, it can still feel like going into some sort of secure
facility more than enjoying a world-famous landmark these days. If the
redesign could also reduce the visual impact of the security measures, that
would be a bonus.

~~~
ErikVandeWater
You really don't find being pat down by a security officer of your own gender
to contribute to a sense of romance and idealism??

~~~
Silhouette
I have never personally had a problem with the security staff at any visitor
attraction in Paris. They have always been perfectly polite and professional,
and the screening was generally far less intrusive and much quicker than the
security theatre we see all too often elsewhere.

I just find it regrettable that the whole area around the base of the tower
looks like a fortress these days. If they can move away from that feeling as
part of this project, perhaps relocating essential access control measures
underground as much as possible, that would be a pleasant improvement.

------
tomcam
I love those plans. The Eiffel Tower is so splendid that I never realized
until reading this article that I felt uneasy with the surrounding area. Bad
feng shui or whatever. This brings the Tower’s environment into better harmony
with the structure itself.

------
Angostura
I visited Paris last year and had a lovely time. I think I'll definitely want
to go back to visit this. It look s splendid

------
megaremote
Hopefully this park will be full of plants and grass rather than gravel like
the other parks in Paris.

~~~
noneeeed
I don't know why you've been downvoted, but that is a spot on description. I
found parks in Paris to be dusty and dry, and frankly not particularly
pleasant.

Compared to having a picnic in London, Paris' parks seemed really not designed
for enjoyment, they seemed to be more about walking around and looking.

------
thrower123
It's been a couple years, but when I was in Paris last, the area around the
Eifel Tower was swarmed with pickpockets, people trying to sign you up for
scammy petitions, and furtive junk souvenir sellers. Combined with the heavy
paramilitary police presence, swaggering around with submachineguns, it wasn't
very inviting.

~~~
noobermin
This is literally any tourist attraction in any city. I agree it sucks but it
comes with the terrain.

~~~
thrower123
Out of cities I've been, Paris was far and away the worst. I don't see this in
Berlin, or Amsterdam, or Boston, or Washington. It's the kind of scene I'd
expect in the Caribbean.

------
noneeeed
ITT: any comment criticising Paris getting downvoted.

~~~
tsukurimashou
I am french, I lived in Paris for 2 years, it was in the center and I never
want to live there again.

~~~
noneeeed
I don't blame you. Not that I ever want to live in London, but central Paris
just wasn't somewhere I'd ever even consider living in.

------
magwa101
Aka "security".

------
ptah
they should put up fruit and berry trees

------
gasbikesracecar
Paris actually used to be beautiful, now it is bland and boring without soul.
Why did people rave about its beauty in the 1800s and early 1900s? Perhaps
you'd be able to answer that question yourself if you looked up all the
gorgeous buildings that used to exist in Paris and around the Eiffel Tower
that are now nonexistent.

~~~
vidoc
An often under reported fact about paris is that it lies in one of the ugliest
regions of France. The 100 km radius around Paris is so stunningly depressing
that Parisians end up going weekend trips to Normandy. "Au royaume des
aveugles, le roi est borgne", as they say

~~~
rockinghigh
It’s “Au royaume des aveugles, les borgnes sont rois.”.

