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Despite her blunders and failures, the mayor of Paris, who announced Tuesday November 26 that she will not run again in the 2026 municipal elections, has improved the quality of life in the capital. His impressive record will stand up to the jeers.
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Being both an excellent politician and an execrable politician, a great strategist for her city and a poor tactician for her majority, a courageous reformer and a psychorigid and resentful team leader… This is the Hidalgo mystery. To tell the truth, for Parisians or suburbanites who live in the capital, the character of the mayor of Paris and her mood swings with her teams don't matter much. What matters is what becomes of the capital under his empire. And there, without a doubt, Anne Hidalgo's record is impressive.
The city of Paris is transformed, more attractive and more lively, internationally praised and cited as an example. The only major downside, but inherent to its status as a prestigious capital, is that land is dramatically driving out the middle classes, or at least preventing new, non-wealthy residents from settling down. The proactive and commendable municipal policy of controlling rents and building social housing fails to limit the gentrification of the most popular neighborhoods. My
