This is the culmination of a process launched in November 2020 by the mayor (PS) Anne Hidalgo and her (former) first deputy Emmanuel Grégoire: the local bioclimatic urban planning plan, which sets the rules for the development of the capital for the coming decades, will be definitively voted on by the Paris Council on November 19 or 20.
On paper, the idea is promising: it involves “allow Parisians to find housing at an affordable price”, d’« include the challenges of energy and climate transition”, d’« supporting co-owners in financing thermal renovation » and “ provide a better living environment.
Why Paris wants to adopt a bioclimatic urban plan
Dozens of amendments on the table
Except that even before the official presentation of this framework document on September 14 at the Pavillon de l'Arsenal, the Changer Paris group, co-chaired by the Minister of Culture Rachida Dati and mayor of the 7th arrondissement, took to the front and said “stop unlivable urban planning disconnected from reality”.
Right-wing elected officials have already planned dozens of amendments to “ put an end to over-densification and make housing accessible to all families », « preserve threatened green spaces » et « protect the heritage and soul of Paris ». “The PLU is bioclimatic in name only”, asserts Valérie Montandon from the 12th arrondissement.
“The speech is verdant but the reality goes against the sustainable development of the capital”, continues his colleague David Alphand, co-president of the Changer Paris group and elected representative of the 16th century. In its viewfinder: the Triangle tower, “an ecological aberration” under construction in the 15th century and the Duo towers in the 13th century “already obsolete”.
Triangle Tower in Paris: despite the launch of the construction site, the dialogue of the deaf continues
Opposed to the obligation to create social housing
And pay attention to the balance between buildings and the greening of the capital, continues this close friend of Rachida Dati, who pleads for the creation of eleven new green spaces, for example by closing the Paris-Issy-les-Moulineaux heliport. The ambition to create 300 hectares by 2040 would in fact “smile environmentalists in the corridors of City Hall”.
« Even Émile Meunier [le président écologiste de la commission Urbanisme du Conseil de Paris] don't believe it », scales David Alphand.
Above all, opponents of Anne Hidalgo are opposed to the so-called obligation to “functional diversity easement”. From January 1, 2025, any new or restructured office building greater than 5,000 m² located in western Paris will have to devote 10% of its surface area to the creation of housing. Of this 10%, the municipality will impose 30% on social housing, 35% in a deficit zone and even 50% in a hyper social housing deficit zone, a new sector created by the Parisian executive.
Click on the map above to enlarge it
Refusal of the objective of 40% social housing by 2035
Like the French association of real estate investment companies (Aspim) and Medef Paristhe elected representative of the 12th Valérie Montandon considers that “this is not technically feasible.” « The owners of office buildings are organizations of small savers who risk seeing the value of their building drop by 30% », assures the opposition councilor.
Urban planning plan in Paris: professionals denounce “an aberration”, Hidalgo’s first deputy responds to them
Its Changer Paris group thus takes up the strong ideas of the capital's employers, namely eliminating the extension of social diversity for surfaces less than 500 m², eradicating this easement in areas of high economic activity, reducing the number of locations reserved for social housing, introduce thresholds for functional diversity or even exempt administrative buildings and buildings located in historic zones from functional diversity obligations.
In the same way that those close to Rachida Dati refute the objective of 40% social and “public” housing by 2035, “neither realistic nor desirable”. For the middle classes, they defend the creation of a “private housing deficit zone” Objective: to ensure that there is 60% of private housing in the districts which already exceed the 40% of social housing.
The right and environmentalists have already voted together in the past
Right-wing opponents are also pushing for the development of family-sized apartments (T3-T4-T5). But also to the creation of a nursery, a higher education establishment and a student residence in the 11th arrondissement, the land of choice for Anne Hidalgo in 2020 after having long been elected in the 15th century. “The city loses 14 to 15,000 inhabitants each year,” justifies Anne Biraben, elected representative of the 5th arrondissement.
A Prévert-style inventory which will be taken up, or not, by the hemicycle of the Council of Paris. A year and a half before the first round of municipal elections, the votes may hold surprises for the majority and the new deputy for Urban Planning Lamia El Araaje. In the past, the right and environmentalists have already voted together to bring down the Bercy-Charenton towers on the border of the 12th century and this commune of Val-de-Marne.
Paris: who is Lamia El Aaraje, Hidalgo's new deputy in charge of town planning and Greater Paris?
