You can say that the urban fabric of Paris (and indeed all great
cities) is composed of some basic elements: first are the famous civic
buildings from the travel book checklist: Notre Dame, the
Eiffel Tower, the Louvre; and second, the townhouses and small scale
urban buildings in between, typically with cafes and stores at street
level. Then there are the variations on public space, ranging in
character from the monumental green gardens of Luxemborg and the hardscaped
plaza at the entrance of the Louvre, to more intimate spaces, as in the
lively outdoor rooms of the Latin Quarter. Finally, lets not forget to
count the great pedestrian streets: avenues for dining and shopping like
Champes Elysee, the bridges that receive the breeze of the
Seine, the continuous sidewalk connections between one’s front door and
the day’s daily coffee and bread.
What if Paris could only keep one of these elements? Which is the
more essential to Paris’ identity? Which is more important to the
visitors who make Paris a top travel destination in the world? Imagine
that the French Ministry of Transportation was to reduce either the
great monuments or the great neighborhoods to parking lots
to accommodate increasing auto ownership. Imagine that Corbusier’s plan
for Paris had been taken seriously.
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| photo by petrajeutter |
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