The Paris of 2040, the subject of tough negotiations in the majority of Hidalgo

The current version of this technical document, a reference text for granting or not granting a building permit and guiding the development of a city for a minimum of ten years, dates from 2006.

PS Mayor Anne Hidalgo's team wants to see its new version, called "Bioclimatic PLU" in that it must allow adaptation to climate change, come into force in 2024.

For this, the socialist assistant for town planning, Emmanuel Grégoire, must bring together environmentalist and communist allies around an agreement, a preliminary step to present himself as the legitimate candidate for the succession of Anne Hidalgo in 2026.

The compromise must be ratified during an extraordinary Paris Council in mid-April, even if the cabinet of the first deputy leaves "the first half". The latter does not want to pour out on negotiations which "are going well".

Ecologists and communists, on the other hand, post their proposals and concessions in order to raise the stakes.

The heights in question

Thus, the ecologists, opponents of too much densification like a vertical city, "have accepted the principles of elevations to make social housing", indicates to AFP the elected EELV Emile Meunier.

In the city shaped by the Haussmann building of six floors, the buildings will be able to reach "nine floors in the widest streets", according to Mr. Meunier, president of the town planning commission.

The PCF construction assistant, Jacques Baudrier, wants to be reassuring. "We do not want to raise everywhere: often it is one floor, which is not huge, and only for housing".

Ecologists want in exchange to anchor "the limit of 37 m" in height "and our majority partners do not want", deplores Emile Meunier, who thinks of the last large wasteland of Bercy-Charenton (XII).

Environmentalists are "fairly conservative", tackles the president of the communist group, Nicolas Bonnet-Oulaldj, for whom "we must continue to build the city", thanks to hollow teeth and elevations, in order to achieve the objective set of 40 % of public housing in 2035.

The two allies are also fighting over the redevelopment of the Porte de Montreuil (XNUMXth century), for which the ecologists have just proposed a counter-project without a new building.

“We are ready for a certain number of concessions, but Montreuil crystallizes our anger”, bubbles Jacques Baudrier, favorable to the buildings of the promoter Nexity, in particular a hotel above the ring road which arouses the ire of environmentalists. Just like the "building-bridge" projects at Porte Maillot (XNUMXth century), challenged by the courts because of the risk of pollution.

Offices: stop or still?

The Greens, opposed to other major urban projects dating back to Anne Hidalgo's first term, when Jean-Louis Missika was assistant town planner (Triangle Tower, Gare d'Austerlitz), are also calling for a reduction from 20 to 15 million m2 office space in the capital.

While the Communists still want to create "where there are needs, in the north and east", in order to rebalance the offer with the west of Paris, explains Jacques Baudrier.

The two allies agree on pre-emptions, a way for ecologists to create social housing without making the city denser. The Communists demand that the allocated budget be increased from 200 to 500 million per year.

And the green spaces? There too, several stumbling blocks: in addition to the constructions around the ring road, the small belt, this disused railway line and fitted out for walking on certain sections, is back in the debate.

Ecologists demand its classification as a green urban zone in order to protect its 50 hectares which they consider to be "the main reserve of biodiversity in Paris". But the communists see it as a "risk of irreversibility" for a potentially reusable infrastructure for freight.

However, the Communists do not want to pass for "the group which supports the concreting" and propose a list of 40 sites - including many aerial parking lots - to be revegetated.

Is an agreement possible by April? "We have to get there", says Emile Meunier.