Learning from greater Paris

Abstract

Following the riots of 2005 that devastated neglected suburbs and the failure of two campaigns for the Olympic Games, Paris has progressively become aware of its lack of metropolitan identity. In order to solve this problem, the French Ministry of Culture has recently set up an international consultation named “Grand Paris” meant to redefine the city’s image and envision its future as a metropolis. This paper retraces a three-year experimentation on Paris’ metropolitan area, carried out by the postgraduate Master of Regional and Urban Planning AMUR, and marked by the emerging public debate on the creation of a Greater Paris. It focuses on the studio’s attempts to develop new means of research and projection, responding to Paris’ metropolitan condition.