new grands projets?

Paris is a constantly evolving canvas for urban planning & architectural innovation. just as Mitterand had his Grands Projets (and a century before that, Napoleon III brought on Haussmann’s rather brilliant redesign), President Sarkozy has stepped up with his own “post-Kyoto” project.

The proposals unveiled this month have some interesting & some appalling ideas. in the latter category, Christian de Portzamparc’s proposed elimination of the Gare du Nord & Gare de l’Est, pushing all connections out to the suburbs. ach! on the other hand, while i don’t always agree with Jean Nouvel’s designs, his proposals for the Grand Paris project hit all the right notes (more here, on his ideas)

But it’s not only ’starchitects’ weighing in…there are some lesser-known names in the bunch, including Djamel Klouche. a nice summary of the projects, here, by NYTimes’ writer Nicolai Ouroussoff.

bike warrior

i’m looking forward to spring, but dreading the inevitable onslaught of bikes on Toronto sidewalks. i’ve never lived in a city with such impatient bikers (i ride a bike in Paris, but even notoriously rude Parisians are gems of patience & civility compared to Toronto bikers)

so how to resolve the cyclists vs pedestrians dilema–and both groups vs cars?  a beautifully-articulated NYTimes article by Robert Sullivan examines how we might all benefit from living more politely together.

(my local Velib station in Paris…waiting patiently for spring)