‘’Let’s give more space to those who want to experience a more peaceful city, with fewer cars and less stress.’’

Anne Hidalgo, major of Paris, launched in June 2015 the consultation about the redesign of 7 big squares: Bastille, Fêtes, Gambetta, Italie, Madeleine, Nation and Panthéon. The Pantheon square was the first finished in 2018, stealing almost 4000 square meters to the motorized modes.

The City of Paris has involved the inhabitants and users of the capital very early on by leading an open and broad consultation composed by a participatory platform, public meetings, workshops (with more than 1350 participants), exploratory walks, forums, questionnaires, registrations in district town halls …
The objective was simple: to create peaceful, friendly and welcoming spaces for everyone.

These multifunctional spaces bring multiple advantages:
– More space for a variety of uses
– More space to active modes and road safety with crossings in one go and max speed of 20 km/h for vehicles
– Access redesigned to public transport and intermodality
– Friendly green spaces
– Highlight the architecture and history of the squares
– Promotion of sport, cultural and artistic activities, supported by innovative furniture
– More space for the life of their neighborhood
In the case of the Pantheon square, the university students can also enjoy the new space distribution.

Photos by: Mairie de Paris, @paris_maville , Joséphine Brueder, Christophe Belin