“Hidalgo’s intuition was to favor young professionals and the poorest sections of the population, but this led to a city where tensions and polarization increased, because the lifestyles of these two populations are opposed”, explains Aurélien Véron, municipal councilor of the central districts of Paris and municipal councilor of Paris. member of the right-wing opposition Les Républicains, told POLITICO.
“The poorest population in Paris is not the one who takes advantage of Hidalgo’s cycle paths and spends his nights partying on café terraces,” he adds.
During his successful 2020 re-election campaign, Hidalgo floated the idea of making Paris a so-called 15-minute city, in which all daily amenities would be accessible via a short walk or bike ride, drawing inspiration from by the Colombian urban planner based in Paris Carlos Moreno. .
“The quarter-hour city goes against the Western ideal of the city,” argues Véron. “People move to cities like Paris to benefit from anonymity. Reducing the space to a 15-minute transit makes things more complicated.”
An uncertain future
Hidalgo has not yet revealed whether she will seek a third term in the 2026 municipal election, but said she was “keeping her options open” during a Television interview in January. The right’s hopes of retaking City Hall from the long-ruling Socialists were boosted Tuesday when a poll showed Culture Minister Dati would lead in the first and second rounds of voting if the camps pro-Macron and conservatives united behind his candidacy.
However, unfavorable polls do not distract Hildago from her lofty green ambitions for Paris, which will accelerate in the run-up to this year’s Summer Olympics. Place de la Concorde will now be reserved for pedestrians, while cars will no longer be allowed on the Pont Iéna, which connects the Trocadéro gardens to the Eiffel Tower.
Politices
