It is a historic plan for the capital. This Wednesday, the Paris Council definitively adopted its local urban planning plan (PLU) which outlines the future of the densest capital in Europe and the main development and construction guidelines for the next fifteen years.
Twenty years after the last major revision of its PLU and after four years of (very) difficult negotiations, this “bioclimatic” PLU must “allow Paris to remain the city where we want to live in the coming years,” argued Anne. Hidalgo, mayor of Paris.
A dense capital plagued by heat waves
How ? By responding to the challenge of climate change and making Paris “more breathable” and “more affordable” by 2035-2040. Strongly contested by the Parisian right, the PLU is “the most powerful political tool we have to develop and transform the city”, welcomed Lamia El-Aaraje, deputy for urban planning to the mayor.
The densest capital in Europe, Paris has been emptying of its inhabitants for around ten years. It is also the European capital where the risk of mortality from heat waves is the highest, according to a Lancet Planet Health study published in 2023.
Adapting to global warming
Revegetation, eco-construction, rehabilitation of the existing: this PLU, which replaces that of 2006, “designs the building of tomorrow so that it participates in the breathing and cooling effort” of Paris, explained Lamia El- Aaraje. “Tomorrow,” she warned, “it will be the same climate as in Seville, it will be too hot under the zinc roofs,” which will have to be greened, “no offense to heritage defenders.”
To show what the PLU will make it possible to do in the coming years, the town hall will launch an architectural competition on innovative projects, in particular on the greening of roofs, or the creation of “shared common spaces” such as kitchens. Another notable measure in the plan: “The end of individual air conditioners and the obligation to connect to the public energy service, CPCU and Climespace. »
In terms of housing, the PLU sets a target of 40% public housing in Paris in 2035, including 30% social housing and 10% affordable housing. In particular, it wants to require office buildings of more than 5,000 square meters to devote 10% of their surface area to the creation of housing.
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In the agreement finally concluded in 2023, environmentalists obtained in particular the limitation of high-rise towers.
The PLU will also aim to create a “hyperdeficit” zone in social housing, particularly in the center and west of the capital where 50% of each project must be devoted to the production of this type of housing.
Revegetation and de-waterproofing
Flagship measure: the creation of 300 new hectares of green spaces open to the public, to achieve the ten square meters of green spaces per inhabitant recommended by the World Health Organization, instead of the current 8.6 m2. “It’s not going to be easy”, given the little land available in Paris, conceded environmentalist Corine Faugeron.
The plan also protects protected green spaces with the protection of 265 remarkable trees and 100,000 street trees. 40% of public space will be de-waterproofed by 2050 to allow better infiltration of rain during severe weather and regulation thermal during extreme heat and heatwaves.
More public facilities
These major orientations also include the creation of public facilities: 93 health centers, 29 sports facilities, 22 cultural facilities.
They will participate in this energy sobriety effort by being built from biosourced materials, with innovative construction techniques, and by being connected to heat networks. They will also be able to recover heat and ensure the creation of islands of freshness. The establishment of a total of 257 kilometers of commerce is also planned.
