French capital vows to clean up its mean streets

Paris officials have proposed eight measures aimed at sprucing up the urban environment, following a social media campaign warning that the City of Light has lost some of its lustre.

A woman sits on a damaged "Davioud" bench made with iron and wood and part of the urban furniture of the city of Paris since the 1860's. © AFP/Geoffroy Van der Hasselt

Since April, Paris residents have been using the hashtag #saccageparis (Paris vandalised) to post pictures of dirty or dilapidated urban furniture, abandoned e-scooters, or ramshackle terraces set up by cafes at the end of Covid lockdowns.

Those posting with #saccageparis, echoed by right-wing critics, accuse Paris' socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo of allowing the capital to fall into neglect.

Hidalgo has claimed the city is being targeted by a smear campaign, and has promised to double spending on cleaning to one billion euros during her second term as mayor.

Street furniture

After an online consultation conducted between March and June, Paris City Hall has  presented eight measures to give the French capital a face-lift, including a deep clean of the streets, and the removal of some street furniture of dubious aesthetic value, according to deputy mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire.

"We're not doing this in response to #saccageparis, but when we are called out by our citizens... they deserve to be listened to and respected," Grégoire stressed. "The things being said by the #saccageparis group are not wrong."

The push for a "new aesthetic," he said, would include repainting the historical elements of public space, such as the ornate iron and wood "Davioud" benches, named after their 19th-century architect designer.

Les bancs qu’on appelle « mikado » sur certaines places et sur les berges de Seine seront rénovés ou supprimés.

La mairie rappelle qu’il s’agit de mobilier anti-intrusion et réfléchit à des mobiliers modulaires plus esthétiques. pic.twitter.com/qtIwb4QhRY

— Arnaud Tousch (@nanotousch) July 5, 2021

The city will also remove or renovate recently-installed "Mikado" benches, whose name evokes the name of the game of pick-up-sticks, and which often resemble haphazard piles of railroad ties.

In addition, some 2,000 "useless" advertising panels will come down, Grégoire said.

'Coronapiste' bike lanes

The deputy mayor promised "more discrete and harmonious" painting and barriers for the 60 kilometres of bike lanes that were quickly established during the Covid-19 pandemic, that have been called "coronapiste" (Coronalanes).

Rue de Rivoli. Jadis si belle...😪
👉Abonnez-vous à @saccageparis #saccageparis #saccageaparis pic.twitter.com/qMEPpOmOXX

— #saccageparis (@saccageparis) July 4, 2021

Most of the lanes are marked with plastic yellow poles or hulking concrete construction blocks that have not aged well.

The #saccageparis twitter group welcomed Grégoire's announcements, saying the promises are in line with the group's expectations, but that it will be attentive to their application.

👉La démarche #saccageparis est constructive et nous saluons les annonces d'Emmanuel Grégoire qui correspondent à nos attentes. Nous serons attentifs à leur application.
Cc @egregoire @Anne_Hidalgo @le_Parisien @ArielWeilT @cbrossel @karen_taieb @ACORDEBARD

— #saccageparis (@saccageparis) July 6, 2021

The group is now creating a new organisation called the Parisian Union, which organised a demonstration, for the first time, on Tuesday, in front of the Paris Town Hall.

Organisers who want to maintain pressure on the town hall team, because not everything has been resolved.