By Dominic Alba, architect, Managing Director of the Paris Urbanism Agency.
To mark the 11th year of the Ecole de Chaillot public courses in the History of Architecture on the theme of “Public space in Paris, a major role in the historical development of the metropolis”.
Public space in Paris was re-designed in the 19thC to make it more hygienic and attractive and to improve ease of use and mobility. This was carried out conforming to one overall system which turned Paris into a laboratory recognised worldwide for its intelligent design. In the 21stC, although the aims might be the same the framework has changed enormously: public space is being reinvented in order to accommodate more services and modes of use – serving as a meeting place, or an area where events take place. Transport systems are diversifying, nature is making a comeback and water is rediscovering its role.
The need to consider pedestrians and their expectations of public space as well as to take environmental requirements related to climate change and biodiversity into account, raises new questions about how to create and manage public space in Paris: in fact, an integrated approach is called for to deal with these new challenges catering both to the new demands and including sustainability in the urban landscape, thus preparing the ground so that tomorrow’s public space can be part of a more open, connected, intelligent and ingenious city. With this in mind and in order to put people at the centre of the scheme, we need to reinvent how public space is planned for, experimented with, conceived and co-built, involving both key players and users. It is also about promoting ways of participating that can be duplicated by exploiting the possibilities offered by digitalisation and which focus more on economic restraint, recycling and the connection to water and vegetation. This process will form the basis for the creation of new regulations. Today, as in the 19thC, only an approach which takes into consideration the ground surface of public spaces, the ground beneath and the whole range of challenges can make up the system. Experimentation is essential, as are participatory methods of creation and management, combining together to forge new urban practices for dealing with public space.
Ticket price: 10/7€