Nieuwe spellen voor de Philips Videopac werden gepresenteerd op de Firato tentoonstelling in 1982.

Bron: Polygoonjournaal, 1982
Collectie Beeld & Geluid

Paris🇫🇷 is proving a powerful truth: when you give streets back to people, cities don’t just look different—they 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒 different. So, what are we waiting for?

Over the past few years, Anne Hidalgo and her team have been transforming once traffic-choked corridors into green, human-oriented, and genuinely joyful public spaces. Watching 20 of these streets shift from car dominance to people-first design isn’t just inspiring—it’s a preview of what the future of urban life can be.

What’s happening in #paris is not cosmetic.
It’s a redefinition of what streets are for.

🌿 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬. Where cars once ruled, trees, planters, permeable surfaces, and shade now anchor cooler, healthier streets. Greenery is no longer an “amenity”—it’s essential infrastructure for resilience, biodiversity, and public health.

🚶‍♀️ 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. Wider sidewalks, benches, café terraces, playgrounds, and dedicated cycling lanes are turning mobility spaces into social spaces. Paris is demonstrating that mobility and livability are not competing goals—they amplify each other.

🚲 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐲𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞. When you create safe, continuous networks for walking and cycling, people use them. The shift away from cars isn’t forced—it’s enabled.

🧒 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐳𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲, 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬. Cleaner air, calmer streets, safer routes to school: these redesigned spaces especially benefit children, older adults, and communities historically neglected by car-first planning.

💡 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩. None of this happens without political vision. Paris chose to challenge decades of auto-centric norms—and in doing so, it unlocked one of the most profound urban transformations of our time.

As you watch the before-and-after footage of these 20 Parisian streets, remember:
💭 This is not a dream.
💪 This is design.
💪 This is policy.
💪 This is choice.
💪 This is courage.

If Paris can take space from cars and return it to people—beautifully, boldly, and at scale—so can every city.

The question is no longer whether we should reclaim our streets.
The question is: what are we waiting for?

(🎞️ by EmmanuelSPV on #Bluesky)

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