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Or another reason to hate the French ;)
Architecture
A New Paris, as Dreamed by Planners
PARIS — Hand it to the French. Who else would pick an economic collapse as a time to unveil one of the most audacious urban plans in recent memory?
Yet the 10 proposals for a new master plan for metropolitan Paris, which were unveiled last week, may just be the kind of brazen idealism the world needs right now.
The results of a nine-month study commissioned by President Nicolas Sarkozy, the proposals aim to transform Paris and its surrounding suburbs into the first sustainable “post-Kyoto city,” a reference to the treaty on climate change, with an expanded Métro system and sprawling new parks.
The government has yet to say how it would raise the money to build this new city. And Mr. Sarkozy’s opponents, who have sometimes dismissed him as “President Bling-Bling,” have questioned whether this is anything more than an elaborate publicity stunt.
But even if none of the proposals are ever built, they show a daring that has not been seen in a Western city for decades. The teams range in experience from well-established international stars like Richard Rogers and Christian de Portzamparc to French architects who are just beginning their careers. All forsook flashy imagery for a deep analysis of the city’s diverse communities and the fraying tissue that binds them together. At the very least, the results should force a radical reappraisal of Paris’s identity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/ar...r=1&ref=design
Those French. Universal healthcare, short work weeks, long vacations, some of the best food in the world, resisted Pax Americana. Too friggin' much ;)
PARIS — Hand it to the French. Who else would pick an economic collapse as a time to unveil one of the most audacious urban plans in recent memory?
Yet the 10 proposals for a new master plan for metropolitan Paris, which were unveiled last week, may just be the kind of brazen idealism the world needs right now.
The results of a nine-month study commissioned by President Nicolas Sarkozy, the proposals aim to transform Paris and its surrounding suburbs into the first sustainable “post-Kyoto city,” a reference to the treaty on climate change, with an expanded Métro system and sprawling new parks.
The government has yet to say how it would raise the money to build this new city. And Mr. Sarkozy’s opponents, who have sometimes dismissed him as “President Bling-Bling,” have questioned whether this is anything more than an elaborate publicity stunt.
But even if none of the proposals are ever built, they show a daring that has not been seen in a Western city for decades. The teams range in experience from well-established international stars like Richard Rogers and Christian de Portzamparc to French architects who are just beginning their careers. All forsook flashy imagery for a deep analysis of the city’s diverse communities and the fraying tissue that binds them together. At the very least, the results should force a radical reappraisal of Paris’s identity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/ar...r=1&ref=design
Those French. Universal healthcare, short work weeks, long vacations, some of the best food in the world, resisted Pax Americana. Too friggin' much ;)
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