Paris

NYC-crosswalk

Public Space as Pedestrian Facility: Comparing New York City and Paris

Paris and New York City are two of the world's more successful pedestrian cities, with each boasting several kinds of data that show the predominance of alternative transportation. An article compares public space in each for lessons.

May 27, 2014 - Project For Public Spaces

Paris Aerial

Paris Plans to Adopt Citywide Slow Speed Zone

A blog post by Eric Britton covers Mayor Madame Anne Hidalgo's plans to adopt a 30 kilometer per hour (approximately 20 miles per hour) maximum speed limit in Paris.

May 23, 2014 - World Streets

France Rethinks Its Diesel Fuel Addiction

Unlike the U.S., most passenger vehicles in Europe run on diesel fuel, not gasoline, and from a public health perspective, diesel emissions can severely exacerbate particle pollution during weather inversions like the one Paris is now experiencing.

March 19, 2014 - The Atlantic Cities

Ça c'est Paris

High Pollutions Levels in an Unexpected City

We've come to expect hight air pollution levels in Beijing and other Asian cities with high traffic levels and surrounded by dirty coal plants, but not in cities using emission-free nuclear energy and lots of bikes and mass transit. So why Paris?

March 17, 2014 - The New York Times - Europe

High Line Crowds

Comparing Public Space in New York City and Paris

A recent article examines the ways New York City and Paris support large-scale pedestrian use and support the shared use of public space.

March 3, 2014 - Project For Public Spaces

Paris Metro Tracks

Reimagining Paris’s Derelict Métro Stations

Parisian mayoral candidate Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet's proposal for the city’s abandoned train stations can be safely described as awesome. The designs are still a dream, but the city of lights is a good place for creative activity.

February 8, 2014 - Atlantic Cities

Paris Metro Gift Wrapped

Holiday Spirit Invades Paris Metro

During the holiday season, cities go to great lengths to turn their streets, homes and businesses into festive places. But underneath the streets, subways tend to look to same day in and day out. French artists have brought the holidays underground.

December 25, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

What Does it Take to Play Paris's Biggest Stage?

Not just anyone can (legally) perform for the millions of passengers who ply Paris's mammoth subway system every day. Liz Alderman looks at the competitive process to land a highly coveted, and potentially lucrative, permit to play Paris Métro.

November 6, 2013 - The New York Times

How a Railway Near the Bastille Revolutionized How We Think About Obsolete Infrastructure

Joseph Heathcott presents a historical narrative of the decline, revitalization, and gentrification of the Parisian neighborhood surrounding the Promenade Plantée and Viaduct des Arts, the pioneering repurposing of obsolete urban infrastructure.

October 9, 2013 - JPER

Theft and Vandalism Threaten One of World's Largest Bike-Share Systems

With 12,000 docking stations, Paris' expansive Velib system is the envy of cities across the world. But last year it lost 9,000 bikes to theft or vandalism. Its admirable ambition is threatening the functionality of the entire system.

September 27, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

waterfront road in Paris transformed into pedestrian and lounging space

Paris Tests a New Approach to Urban Space

Any visitor from America would think that Paris had found the solution to creating great public spaces and taming the automobile. But the city's new approach to urban space suggests city leaders and residents feel otherwise.

September 21, 2013 - PPS: Placemaking Blog

View of sky reflected in windows of Tour Montparnasse in Paris

Can Paris's Ugliest Building Win Fans With a New Look?

As the Tour Montparnasse turns 40, the much-despised office tower is getting a makeover. With a new lighting display and plans to replace its windows, the tower is trying to alter its image. But are the renovations likely to change perceptions?

September 19, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

What's Behind Bike Share's Skyrocketing Growth?

Earth Policy Institute's bike share charts allow readers to compare bike share programs in the U.S., now numbering 34 with 18,000 bikes. As impressive as it is, a comparison with bike share programs abroad put the numbers in perspective.

September 4, 2013 - Earth Policy Institute

Planning a People-Centered Renaissance for La Defense

Since it was begun in the late 1950's, Paris's La Defense business district 'has always worked better in architectural theory than in anthropological practice,' says Georgi Kantchev. A new plan seeks to humanize the spaces between its tall towers.

August 1, 2013 - The New York Times

Quantifying How Haussmann Changed the Function and Form of Paris

A new study has quantified how Baron Georges-Eugene Haussmann's plans changed the form and function of Paris - a topic that had previously been open to the subjective analysis of urban theorists. The results might surprise you.

July 31, 2013 - BBC

Ça c'est Paris

Paris Set to Quadruple in Size

A new governance structure will integrate central Paris with its suburbs in order to facilitate regional planning for 6.5 million inhabitants across 124 municipalities.

July 30, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Broken Bike Helmet

Bike Helmets and Bike Share: Unhappy Marriage in Need of Divorce

The bike helmet requirement will ultimately destroy the success of the planned Seattle bike share program, writes Danny Westneat, Seattle Times staff columnist, after experiencing first-hand the world's most successful bike share program in Paris.

July 21, 2013 - The Seattle Times

Paris Is What People Want; How Can We Make More of It?

Hazel Borys concludes her whirlwind European travelog. This week: a look at the DNA of Paris, and how to replicate it elsewhere.

July 2, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Architect Ego Trip or Necessity for a Modern Metropolis? Paris Debates Skyscrapers

Following Mayor Bertrand Delanoe's overturn of a ban on buildings over seven storeys high, Paris is planning a dozen new skyscrapers outside the city centre. Debate over the towers is destined to become an issue in next year's municipal elections.

June 19, 2013 - BBC News

Place de la Republique

'Best Square' in Paris Returned to the People

Over the weekend, the $30 million revamp of Paris's iconic Place de la République opened to the public. By transforming the square from a place for cars into a place for people, Mayor Bertrand Delanoe has earned a distinguished "anti-car" label.

June 18, 2013 - The Guardian

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