Paris residents voted in a referendum to close an additional 500 streets to cars and make room for pedestrians, cyclists, and green spaces. The plan, which will also include the removal of 10% of existing parking spaces in the city, extends the green initiative of Mayor Anne Hidalgo, under which 300 streets have already been transformed into green, car-free zones since 2020.
The initiative, which comes a year before the end of Hidalgo’s second and final term, will continue to change the face and character of the city, which has already taken significant steps to reduce car dominance and emphasize public transport and active transportation modes. The goal is to turn five to eight streets in each neighborhood into pedestrian areas, with local residents to be surveyed next spring to determine which streets are most suitable, with an average budget of €500,000 (about $540,000) per street.
66% voted in favor, but only 4% participated
The initiative, which was approved by 66% of voters, was celebrated at Paris City Hall. Paris's Green Spaces and Environmental Commissioner, Christophe Najdowski, said that the strong approval rate shows that residents clearly want "more streets for pedestrians, fewer cars, and more nature in the city."
However, the result represents only a small portion of the residents, with the voter turnout standing at just 4% of eligible voters. While this low participation rate may indicate some indifference among the residents, Hidalgo's green policies also have their opponents.
Some local business owners and residents in the heavily touristic Montmartre neighborhood, for example, have expressed concerns that the process of turning the area into a pedestrian zone and removing parking spaces around the Sacré-Cœur could unnecessarily complicate everyday life for locals. The president of the drivers’ organization "40 Million Drivers" called the removal of access to cars in Paris a "gradual takeover of urban space" that harms those who have no choice but to drive.
Within this group, the removal of parking spaces is a particularly sensitive issue, after the city committed in its climate plan for 2024-2030 to remove 60,000 parking spaces and replace them with trees.
What’s in store for Paris residents?
Paris residents will be able to get a fairly clear picture of what to expect from their new green streets by looking at the example of the 300 streets already completed since 2020. Focusing on streets near schools, these plans typically removed car lanes as well as parking spaces, replacing them with a combination of paved areas and green spaces, with a wide ratio of two-thirds paving to one-third gardening.
The goals of these conversions are multi-faceted. They aim to reduce pollution, encourage walking and cycling to and from schools, reduce the "urban heat island" effect by introducing temperature-regulating vegetation, and improve flood resilience by replacing impermeable surfaces with open soil that can absorb more rain.
Paris is not alone in its vision of making urban space more pedestrian- and environmentally-friendly. Cities around the world, from Barcelona to Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Seoul, are leading a similar trend of restricting car traffic in city centers and creating "15-minute neighborhoods" where residents can reach all essential services within a short walk or bike ride.